JUST BREATHE
by Daphne Li
Summary: SEQUEL TO: LOVE OF AGES! Eriol and Tomoyo’s twin daughters are as different as night and day, unless you count their looks. But what will happen when the girls switch lives for a while? A: A whole lot of trouble. New Chaps. 13-14 UP! TE, SS
1. Heidi and Hilde

Daphne: "Hello again! I told you I'd have the sequel ready soon, and here it is! I am too eager to have you read it, so I will shut up right now and let you do so!!! Enjoy!  
  
SUMMARY:  
  
*** Heidi and Hilde are the twin daughters of Eriol and Tomoyo Hiiragizawa. While identical in looks, they are opposites in everything else. Heidi is outgoing, sporty, loud, and goes to school in Japan. Hilde is shy, musical, overly quiet, and goes to school in England, where their family lives.  
  
But when the girl's switch places for a short period of time, and mess around with each other's lives, it will effect Hilde for the rest of her life...in both good, and bad ways! (It will effect Heidi too, though not as much.)  
  
Who else will the girls confuse? How will Tomoyo and Eriol deal with their daughters ever-changing ways? How many hearts will break, how many loves will be founded, how many truths will be revealed?  
  
And whatever happened to Robert Roderick and Kaho Mizuki? ***  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
By: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 1.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey, shy-by! Get a move on!"  
  
Amethyst eyes blinked open sleepily, adjusting to their surroundings. A small hand brushed away sleep-sand, and then fluttered over to the alarm- clock, which rested on the small bedside table; it read 6:30. A soft groan emitted from cherry-red lips.  
  
Hilde Hiiragizawa sat up in bed, wrinkling her nose at the sound of someone washing their hands in the bathroom that linked to her room, and connected it with her sister's.  
  
"Are you awake, yet?" Came another loud shout from the bathroom. It was her twin sister, Heidi.  
  
"I am." She called back, her voice much softer than her sister's. She slowly climbed out of bed and walked over to her walk-in closet. She quickly got out her new school uniform, which consisted of a white blouse, long blue skirt and a blue knitted jacket, and put them on. Then she walked over to her full-length mirror and began to brush out her long, luxurious raven-black hair.  
  
A petite girl of sixteen gazed back at her, with hair that fell to her bottom and eyes that sparkled with amethysts. Hilde was rather slim, but she tended to wear clothes that hid that fact. After she had finished brushing her hair, she quickly pulled it back into it's usual perfect bun, and looked at herself in the mirror one last time, before picking up her book-bag and going downstairs.  
  
By the time she got there, her parents and brother were all ready sitting at the table, bantering happily about something or other. A large pile of luggage stood in a corner of the room, all packed and ready for their trip.  
  
"Good morning, honey." Her mother, Tomoyo Hiiragizawa, said softly, hugging her. Hilde smiled and returned the hug, as her father rolled his eyes at her behind her mother's back.  
  
"School starts today, Hill." Her younger brother, Yuki, stated. Hilde raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.  
  
"She knows. She's wearing her uniform." Her father filled in. Yuki smirked.  
  
"Oh? I didn't notice." He teased. This earned him a whack on head from the girl who had just entered the room. She was identical to Hilde in every way, but she was more muscular and her hair was shorter; it only reached to her shoulders. This was Heidi, Hilde's twin.  
  
Though they were twins, the girls were different as night and day. While Heidi was loud and energetic, loving anything that had to do with sports, and also boy-crazy, Hilde was quiet and more timid, enjoying being alone and hating sports with a passion. There were also other differences. Heidi had already had five boy-friends in the one year she had been allowed to date, while Hilde refused any offers, though she had many.  
  
But the most prominent difference was...  
  
"So, today you're leaving for Japan, again. You going to stay there this time?" Yuki asked, his eyes twinkling. Heidi shot him a glare and wrinkled her nose.  
  
"Wouldn't you love that?" She hissed. Then she added something under her breath that Hilde thought sounded like, "I sure would".  
  
Yes, Heidi Hiiragizawa went to school in Tomeda, Japan. They had traveled there for the first time when the girls were five, and Heidi had fallen in love with it. She had wanted to stay permanently, but her parents decided they would miss her too much. So they negotiated. She would go to Japan during the school year, then come back for all the holidays.  
  
But Hilde, had refused to go. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving her family and home for that long a time, so she had decided to stay, while Heidi stayed with her grandmother in Japan. Suffice to say, Sonomi was thrilled to have someone to care for, and Heidi was spoiled rotten by her grandmother.  
  
"Oops! We'd better go, Di, or you'll miss your flight." Eriol called, getting up. Heidi gave a squeal and quickly finished her bite of food. She kissed her mother chastely on the cheek, hit her brother upside the head, then grabbed some of her stuff.  
  
"Bye Mum! By Squirt! See you later, shy-by." She called, racing from the room. Hilde sighed. That was her sister's nickname for her. Shy-by. Where it had come from, no one knew but them, but Hilde was not about to tell anyone about it.  
  
"I have to meet Akane. We are walking to school together." She murmured, kissing her mother's cheek and hugging her brother. Yuki, surprisingly enough, hugged her back.  
  
"See you, Hill." He mumbled, going back to his food. Tomoyo and Hilde shared a look, and Tomoyo smiled.  
  
"Have a good day, honey. Tell Akane I say 'hello'." She called as Hilde left the room.  
  
Hilde quickly made her way across her grounds to the Burnside mansion. This was where her best friend, Akane Burnside, lived. Their parents had been close friends, so they had grown up together, finding comfort and companionship with each other.  
  
"Hilde! Over here!" Came Akane's sweet voice. Hilde turned and for the first time that morning, flashed her a real smile, revealing a small dimple near the corner of her mouth.  
  
"Has Heidi gone yet?" Akane asked, as they began to walk down the sidewalk. Hilde nodded, but said nothing. Akane, being used to Hilde's silence, simply smiled and continued walking beside her friend.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hello? Is anyone home?"  
  
"SEAMUS!"  
  
Hilde looked up from her homework and smiled as her older 'cousin' walked into the room, grinning.  
  
"Hey Nirah. How are you doing, Hilde?" He asked, stooping to gently kiss her forehead. Nirah, Seamus's fourteen year old sister, frowned and glomped him for not answering her welcome. Akane, who was sitting at the table next to Hilde, grinned, and Yuki shot him a sly wink.  
  
"Good evening, Seamus. How was your day?" She asked softly. He turned and smiled.  
  
"As well as it could have been. My college classes are annoying, but they are helping." He muttered.  
  
"You'd better believe it!" His mother laughed, walking into the room. Nakuru Kinomoto hugged Hilde's shoulder's gently, before cuffing her son on the head.  
  
"OW! Mum, what was that for?"  
  
"Seamus, you're twenty years old. Start acting like it!"  
  
"Take your own advice, Nakuru!" Laughed Tomoyo Hiiragizawa, walking into the room with her husband. It was near supper-time, and everyone, including Akane's family, were gathering at the Daidouji residence for dinner. The girls and Yuki had been working on homework when Seamus had intruded.  
  
"Hello, all! What have we missed?" Tyson Burnside called, walking into the room with an arm about Naoko's waist and another around Touya Kinomoto's shoulders.  
  
"Nothing much. Now sit down. This room's all ready becoming too crowded with everyone standing up!" Milly commanded, her eyes sparkling. She had just entered through the kitchen doors, a dish of steaming casserole in her hands. Everyone quickly did as they were told, and soon they were all eating.  
  
"So...how was your day?" Tyson asked Akane, after she had just put a bite in her mouth. The group laughed as she quickly swallowed.  
  
"Very funny, daddy. School was great. The teachers were nice and the girls seemed to get along..."  
  
"What about the boys?" Seamus asked. Akane rolled her eyes at him, and Akane's older sister, Tara, glared.  
  
"There's no boys at our school, Seamus. You know that! It's a private, all- girl school, thank God." She mumbled, flipping a strand of her long, light brown hair over her shoulder, her brown eyes boring into Seamus's. Unlike Akane, who had completely taken after her father in the look's department, seventeen year-old Tara looked like her mother.  
  
"Pity, too. It would be jolly fun to be in the same school with my dearest sister." Yuki stated, batting his eyelashes at Hilde. She let out a soft laugh.  
  
"You'd be expelled before you even reached your first class, Yuki." She told him, her amethyst eyes sparkling. It was times like these where she could not help but talk and laugh like the rest of her family.  
  
"I guess you're right." He muttered, digging into his food. This caused another round of laughter.  
  
"Now, how was your first day of school?" Tomoyo asked her daughter. Hilde shrugged, and Akane glared at her.  
  
"She refused to try out for choir. I tried to persuade her, but nothing would make her." She whined. Tomoyo and Eriol eyed their daughter with worry. Hilde didn't seem to mind being in the shadows and watching people, but when it came to actually doing something herself, she shied away.  
  
"Why, Hilde?" Eriol asked softly, his cerulean blue eyes boring into hers. Hilde said nothing, but her eyes did. They clearly said, 'because I didn't want to'.  
  
With a sigh, he looked at his wife and shrugged. They had two daughters, different as night and day. It was hard to handle Heidi after they were so used to Hilde's silence...but they didn't mind.  
  
That was just the way life went.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"HEIDI!!!"  
  
"BAILEY!!!" Heidi shrieked, rushing into the arms of her best friend. Bailey Terada had been her best friend since first grade, always sticking by her side and supporting her in everything she did.  
  
"I missed you so much! How was England?" Bailey asked, as they walked into Tomeda High School. Heidi sighed.  
  
"All right. But I would have rather spent my summer break here. It was so boring! Yuki bantering me at every turn, Mom and dad worrying about my safety...Hilde being her normal mute self. I mean, the girl has a voice...one hell of a voice, if you ask me. Why can't she use it?" Heidi sighed. Bailey shrugged.  
  
"How should I know? I've never met her." She reminded her. Out of all her friends at this school, Bailey was the only one who knew that Heidi even had a sister, let alone twin. Heidi had kept it secret for a reason, but no one, not even Bailey, knew why.  
  
"So, did you have a good break?"  
  
"Ugh. It was all right, until Isaac and Jacob decided to invite Hiro and Kojii over for a few nights. It was unbearable!" Bailey shuddered. Isaac and Jacob were her older brothers, but when it came to tastes in friends, Bailey was sure that she got the icing on the cake.  
  
"That must have been horrid! But why don't we go run it off at the track?" She suggested, quickly changing he subject. Bailey nodded, then smirked.  
  
"Oh, and Kojii was boasting about how much better he is at running than you are. He was prancing around like a proud rooster the whole time you were away!" Bailey laughed. Immediately, Heidi's anger flared. This was another aspect of her otherwise horrible life. Kojii Li. Sure, his parents were best friends of hers, and he was also next in line for being the ruler of Hong Kong, but big whoop! He was still an a** hole in her mind.  
  
"If I see that boy...ohhhhh! I am going to whip his a** off!" She hissed, stalking over to the track. Bailey followed her, laughing.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"KOJII LI, YOU'VE BREATHED YOUR LAST!"  
  
Four boys turned, smirking.  
  
The first had spiky-brown hair and brown eyes that twinkled with mischief. The second was almost identical to him, but looked a bit younger, and was less built. The third boy had black hair, and brown eyes. He was the tallest of the boys, and he had an air of roguishness to him.  
  
And the fourth...the fourth had messy chestnut hair and brown eyes that flashed with eagerness at the row that was about to insue; the boys were known as Jacob and Isaac Terada, Hiro Yamazaki, and Kojii Li.  
  
"What do you want, Hiiragizawa?" Kojii asked in a hard-tipped voice. The irate girl stomped in front of him, her raven hair mussed and her amethyst eyes flaring with anger.  
  
"So...you can run faster than me, huh?" She hissed, her finger poking him in the chest. Kojii grinned.  
  
"Yeah. What of it?" The smirking eighteen year-old asked, running a hand through his chestnut hair.  
  
"YOU GAKI! NO ONE, ESPECIALLY YOU, CAN OUTRUN ME!!!" She shrieked, her fist connecting with his chest. He let out a laugh.  
  
"Weakling. Is that the best you can do?" He chuckled. Behind him, Isaac and Jacob were standing back, fearing Heidi's wrath, while Hiro looked back and forth between them, seemingly torn between amusement and worry.  
  
"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY DESPICABLE! I WAS RIGHT WHEN I TOLD SIS THAT YOU WERE OF THE DEVIL!!!" She shouted, her body shaking with anger. Kojii's laughter disappeared and his face hardened.  
  
"You told who that?" He hissed. Heidi, realizing her mistake, growled.  
  
"None of your business. But she sure agreed." She stated. He growled back.  
  
"Has she ever even met me?"  
  
"No, thank God. At least she has had the luxury of avoiding that." Heidi hissed back. Bailey winced and tugged on Heidi's sleeve as a soft ring was heard.  
  
"Your cell phone..." She trailed off as the annoying thing rang again, this time, everyone heard it. Tomoyo had insisted that her children carry these phones, just in case. Hilde had a purple one, Yuki had a blue one, and she had a sparkly black one.  
  
"Hello?" She asked in an annoyed voice. There was silence for a moment.  
  
"You are angry." A soft voice stated. Heidi immediately melted as her sister's soothing voice came over the line.  
  
"You've got that right. I just got finished telling Kojii Li off." She stated, ignoring Kojii's outraged shout. Hilde sighed softly.  
  
"You must have been very angry. I could feel it clearly from here. Heidi, please be careful. I don't want either of you hurt." She murmured. Heidi snorted.  
  
"I won't get hurt, but I can't say the same about him. Now, where are you, anyway?"  
  
"In the girl's bathroom. I had to get out of class, because I don't think my teacher would have liked to see me turning red in the face." Hilde gave a soft laugh.  
  
"Yeah, well you be careful, Shy-by. I don't want your teachers thinking you're crazy or anything...not that they would. You're too perfect." Hilde laughed, as she turned away from the group. She never noticed the boys shooting strange looks at her, nor Bailey's worried glances.  
  
"I'm not perfect."  
  
"At times you are. I just wish you were here to sing to me. I need that right now." She mumbled lowly. She could almost hear Hilde smiling on the other end.  
  
"I'll sing to you at Christmas...or whenever you call and you are alone." Her sister stated. It was then that Heidi remembered where she was. She turned with a glare and met Hiro's worried brown eyes; her glare disappeared and she nearly melted into a puddle of embarrassment.  
  
"Look, I have to go. Call you later, all right?"  
  
"Fine. I love you, Heidi."  
  
"Love you, too." Heidi said, hanging up the phone and sticking it back into her bag.  
  
"OH! Who's your lover boy?" Kojii asked, his voice simpering. Heidi smirked.  
  
"Who said it was a boy?"  
  
"SICK! YOU'RE GAY?" He shouted, reeling away from her. She and Bailey began to laugh hysterically.  
  
"Who said that it was my 'lover'? It could have been a family member." She reminded him with a sneer. Kojii crossed his arms.  
  
"Then...who was it?" He asked. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"You, Li, are the reason gorillas reproduce slowly. Now scuttle out of my way." She snapped. She was so worked up about Kojii, that she never noticed Hiro standing behind her, until she turned and rammed into his firmly built chest. For a moment, they both froze there, his hands caching hers to keep her from falling, and their eyes met.  
  
"Who was it, Heidi?" He finally asked softly, something near jealousy rising in his chest. Heidi worked to keep from blushing.  
  
"It was...um..."  
  
"Her brother. It was Yuki." Bailey cut in.  
  
"You have a brother?" Kojii asked, his eyes widening slightly. Heidi nodded.  
  
"Yeah, what of it? Now, if you'll move your big butt, I'd like to make it to my first class on time." She snapped, pulling away from Hiro and brushing past Kojii on her way. Bailey shot them all a slightly apologetic look, and then quickly followed.  
  
"That was odd." Kojii commented, watching their backs. Hiro simply stared after them, his eyes narrowed in thought.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	2. Queen of IM

Daphne: "I have a few things I need to straighten out, for those of you who are confused:  
  
IN THIS STORY, SAKURA AND TOMOYO ARE DISTANTLY RELATED...NOT DIRECTLY!!!  
  
I WILL NOT BE MAKING A SEQUEL TO 'AVALANCHE KISSES', SO PLEASE STOP ASKING!  
  
All right, I think that's about it. Enjoy this chapter, and please review and tell me what you think!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 2.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Mom? I'm home!" Kojii yelled, his voice echoing throughout the large entryway. His amber eyes searched for any sign of life as he threw his bookbag to the ground.  
  
"Kojii, please be quiet. I'm on the phone." His mother murmured, sticking her head out of the living room doorway. Kojii groaned.  
  
"Tomoyo again?"  
  
"Yes, now hush." She pulled her head back into the room and Kojii sighed. Every time his mother was on the phone, more often than naught, it was Tomoyo Hiiragizawa that she was talking to. Tomoyo was a *very* distant cousin of his mother's, but Kojii couldn't understand their obsession with talking with each other, every day of the week.  
  
"As if it's not bad enough, having to deal with her daughter." Kojii hissed, his eyes flashing as he entered his bedroom. Heidi's face flitted across his mind, and he growled.  
  
"Stupid weakling. Doesn't even know what she's dealing with." He muttered, pulling out his training sword and brandishing it at an invisible opponent. He did several difficult moves, and then fell into a relaxing, meditative exercise. His eyes closed and an almost-smile came to his lips.  
  
"Someday, you're going to kill someone with that." A sweet voice called. Kojii fell out of his calm state, and turned in annoyance, to see his little sister standing in the doorway, grinning.  
  
"Meilei, if you're not careful, I'll kill *you*." He muttered, sliding his sword back into its sheath. The petite, auburn haired beauty rolled her emerald eyes and smiled.  
  
"You would never be able to bring yourself to do it." She stated, seating herself on his bed. He smiled, a true smile, and then sat down at his computer desk, logging onto the Internet quickly.  
  
"Now what are you doing?"  
  
"I want to see if Jacob or Isaac are on. They told me that they would be on tonight, so we could chat." He stated. Meilei grinned.  
  
"You're almost as bad as mom and Aunt Tomoyo."  
  
"Stop calling her that. She's not our aunt, and I am most certainly not related to that creature she calls a daughter." He snapped. Meilei sighed. At sixteen, she was in the same class as Heidi and Bailey. She and Bailey got along well enough, but Heidi seemed to hold a grudge against her, because of who her brother was.  
  
"YES! They're on!" He cried, as his instant messenger popped up with a message from Hiro. Meilei smiled and looked over his shoulder, reading the note. Prof._LIER was Hiro's computer name, because of what his mother was always calling his father. Green_wolf was Kojii's own screen-name.  
  
Prof._LIER: YO! Waz up?  
  
Green_wolf: Noth. Mom's on the ring again.  
  
Prof._LIER: with whom?  
  
Green_wolf: Hiiragizawa's mom.  
  
Prof._LIER: Pity.  
  
*Crazy_dude is on-line*  
  
Green_wolf: hey Jacob  
  
*100_percent_angel is on-line*  
  
100_percent_angel: WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, LI? THIS IS MY CHAT!  
  
Green_wolf: What the hell?!?! Get out of here, Hiiragizawa!  
  
Crazy_dude: Excuse me, but we were chatting. Jake let me use his comp. name.  
  
Prof._LIER: Bailey?  
  
Crazy_dude: Oh, hey Hiro.  
  
Prof._LIER: How is it that we always get caught in the middle of these scrapes? ^__^ ;  
  
Crazy_dude: how should I know! -__- ;  
  
Green_wolf: well get off! I have to talk to Jake!  
  
100_percent_angel: too bad. Mou! What crawled up your butt and died?  
  
By this time, Meilei was rolling on the ground, laughing, while Kojii glared at her. She quickly shoved him off his seat and took his place, ignoring his protests.  
  
Green_wolf: this is Meilei. I'll tell you what crawled up his butt...you!  
  
100_percent_angel: You are such a...  
  
*Nightingale's_song is on-line*  
  
Nightingale's_song: Heidi?  
  
100_percent_angel: What are you doing on? Is everything all right? Are mom and dad in trouble? Did Yuki finally crawl into that hole and die?  
  
Kojii had just reclaimed his chair in time for him to see this come up. He frowned and began to type.  
  
Green_wolf: Huh? Who is that?  
  
Crazy_dude: Um...Heidi, is that who I think it is?  
  
Prof._LIER: Who? Who is it?  
  
Nightingale's_song: Heidi, you promised to call. And no, nothing's wrong.  
  
100_percent_angel: I know. I was going to do that as soon as I talked to Bailey. But I got sidetracked by #1 A**-hole, here, Kojii Li. You wanna meet him? By the way, where are mom and everyone else?  
  
Nightingale's_song: No thank you. Yuki's over at one of his friend's, and Akane is here with me. Mom...she's on the phone with you-know-who. Dad's at work and Milly's at another council meeting. Heidi, I have to go. But please call soon. I have to talk with you.  
  
100_percent_angel: I'll get off and call right away. Is that all right with you, Bailey?  
  
Crazy_dude: No prob. See you tomorrow!  
  
100_percent_angel: K'! Bye!  
  
Nightingale's_song: Goodbye.  
  
*Crazy_dude has logged off*  
  
*100_percent_angel has logged off*  
  
*Nightingale's_song has logged off*  
  
Prof._LIER: that was interesting.  
  
Green_wolf: no sh*t.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Grandma, I'm home!" Heidi called, throwing herself down on a couch in the living room. Sonomi Daidouji walked into the room, grinning.  
  
"How was your day?" She asked, used to Heidi's tomboy ways. Heidi smirked.  
  
"I managed to out-wit Li again. The stupid lump didn't even see it coming!" Heidi laughed. Sonomi eyed her warningly.  
  
"Heidi...you know you shouldn't do that. You've gotten into so much trouble lately. What on earth has he done, to cause you to hate him so much?" The older woman asked. For a moment, Heidi's eyes filled with shadows and her face became neutral. Then, her hands clenched and her eyes started to snap.  
  
"It's a long story. Don't worry about it, Gram." She mumbled, stalking out of the room. Sonomi looked after her with a sigh, then went to call Tomoyo.  
  
'Stupid Li-kun. Always in the way.' Heidi thought, as she stomped up the stairs to her room. She threw herself down onto her huge bed and laid on her back, gazing up at the ceiling. Suddenly, a soft, warm feeling filled her and her temper calmed.  
  
"Thanks, Hilde." She whispered.  
  
Ever since they were small, she and Hilde had shared a special bond. They were able to sense each other's emotions, even far away, and were able to transfer emotions just as readily. And even though they weren't as close as some twins, they still shared the bond that allowed each sibling to see if the other was in danger.  
  
With a sigh, Heidi stood up and went over to her desk, gazing at a picture there. It was of herself, when she was no older than six, swinging on a swing in Penguin Park. Behind her stood Hiro, a huge grin on his face as he tried in vain to push her off. Next to him stood Kojii, who was smirking dryly at the camera, his amber eyes twinkling. Bailey was on the swing next to hers, swinging contentedly with her eyes shut.  
  
Even then they had been close...at least Bailey and her. Hiro and Kojii were only there because their mother's were having a get together, and they had left them to play with each other. Hiro and Kojii had been disgusted with the idea, but obeyed. Eventually, Hiro had lapsed into a relatively good mood, trying to shove the moving girls off their swings. But Kojii had simply stood there until his mother returned for him.  
  
*RING-RING!*  
  
Heidi quickly hurried over to her phone and picked it up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hilde? It's Bailey."  
  
"Oh. Hey. What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing. My mom just wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner. We're having your favorite..."  
  
"...sushi and egg-drop soup?"  
  
"Got that right!"  
  
"Be right over!" Heidi squealed, slamming down the phone and running for the door.  
  
"Gram? I'm having dinner at Bailey's!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Hilde looked around her room listlessly and sighed. It was nearing Christmas break, and Heidi was coming home in two days. But somehow, Hilde had a bad feeling about this. It wasn't because she didn't want her sister to come home...she did. It was just that something didn't seem right.  
  
"Hill? Are you awake?" Came a soft voice through the door. Hilde smiled.  
  
"Come on in, mummy." She said, looking at the door. Tomoyo Hiiragizawa's face appeared around the door and she smiled at her daughter. Then, with a child-like exuberance, she jumped up onto the bed and faced her daughter with a grin.  
  
"Something's wrong. I know it." She stated, her amethyst eyes boring into her daughter's. Hilde shrugged.  
  
"Nothing is wrong, mom. Really. I am just excited about Heidi coming home." She murmured. Tomoyo smiled.  
  
"I know. We all are. You know, Sakura and I used to be the same way." She murmured thoughtfully. Hilde smiled softly. Her mother was falling back into her past again.  
  
"Were you?"  
  
"Oh yes. We were practically inseparable. Everything I did, she was included and vise-versa. That is, until she married." Tomoyo smirked.  
  
"Doesn't she have children, now?"  
  
"Two. Kojii, whom I knew was on the way even before his mother did, and Meilei, named after her Aunt Meiling."  
  
"Meilei means 'beautiful' in Chinese, doesn't it?"  
  
"Mandarin, I think."  
  
"And Kojii is Heidi's worst adversary." Hilde filled in. Tomoyo sighed and looked upset.  
  
"When you were young, we had hoped to bring our families closer together, so you would grow up knowing and loving the Li's. But that never worked out. Sakura and Syaoran were forced to live in Hong Kong the first part of your lives, and the second...well, we haven't had much time to get together. And now this feud between Kojii and Heidi...I don't see how it will ever happen."  
  
"Maybe someday, Heidi will fall in love with him. Then we will be close." Hilde joked softly. Tomoyo's eyes lit up and she gave a squeal.  
  
"KAWAII! Hilde, darling, you have the most wonderful ideas! I have to call Sakura about this!" With this, Tomoyo rushed from the room, leaving a half- horrified, half-amused daughter in her wake.  
  
"That went well. Now, instead of avoiding an acquaintance, you're getting our sister an arranged marriage!" Yuki crowed, rushing into the room and throwing himself down onto the bed next to her. Hilde laughed.  
  
"Serves her right for annoying us with 'Kojii this' and 'Kojii that'. He is all she ever talks about."  
  
"Besides sports, Bailey, and that Hiro kid, you mean." Yuki pointed out. Hilde nodded.  
  
"So...do you think she'll be mad at you?" He asked when the humor had died down. Hilde shrugged.  
  
"I suppose." Now she looked a bit uncomfortable.  
  
"Then I suggest you run." He chuckled, bounding off the bed and out of the room.  
  
"Love you, sis." He murmured, poking his head back into the room. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I love you too, brother."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"MOM!!! DAD! I'M HOME!"  
  
Yuki, Hilde, Akane, Tara, Tomoyo and Eriol looked up from their work on the Christmas decorations, and grinned. Tomoyo and Eriol dropped what they were doing and rushed out of the room to greet their daughter, while Yuki rolled his eyes.  
  
"She's bA-ack!" He said in a haunting tone. The girls laughed and they too, rushed out to greet Heidi.  
  
"Hey, Shy-by!" Heidi called, throwing her arms around her sister. Heidi had grown her hair out a little; it now reached her shoulder-blades, and she wore an actual traveling suit. It had a light lavender and grey plaid skirt and jacket, with a pretty white blouse underneath and black pumps on her feet.  
  
"Gram bought it for me. You like?" She asked, turning slowly to give off the full affect.  
  
"You, in a dress? The world's coming to an end." Yuki muttered, leaning against the doorway. Heidi shot him a glare.  
  
"Shut up, boogie-brain." She snapped. His eyes widened in mock-shock  
  
"Ohhh! Good one! What next? Monster-breath?"  
  
"No. Mindless-idiot does come to mind, though..."  
  
"Heidi! That was rude." Tomoyo admonished.  
  
"Sorry, mum. That was rude. I meant psychopathic-idiot." She stated. Eriol stifled his chuckles in his sleeve, and Tomoyo shot him a glare.  
  
"Come on, guys. Help me unpack." Heidi called, picking up the two suitcases that she had brought.  
  
"Actually, we should go. We promised mom we'd be home soon." Akane told her, backing towards the door. Tara quickly followed and together, they made their get-away.  
  
"Chickens. They just didn't want to help unpack." Heidi sneered good- naturedly. Hilde smiled and followed her sister up to her room.  
  
"So, sis. Any boyfriends?" Heidi asked, plopping down on her bed. Hilde looked slightly disgusted and shook her head.  
  
"No. Not interested. You?"  
  
"No." Heidi said slowly. Hilde was surprised. Heidi was a bit boy-crazy, and to tell the whole truth, many boys liked her for her sporty-ness.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Not interested." Her twin taunted, amethyst eyes sparkling.  
  
"Why, Heidi?" Hilde persisted. Heidi's face grew red.  
  
"No...no reason. Don't freak out about it, Shy-by."  
  
"What's wrong, Heidi?" Hilde asked softly, her eyes searching. Her twin shuddered slightly and looked away.  
  
"I'll tell you after Christmas, all right? Right now, all I want is to get unpacked and then spend some time with my family." She muttered. Bad choice of words. Immediately, Hilde's radar was up.  
  
"Spend time with the family? Since when?" She asked in shock. Heidi winced.  
  
"Please, Hill. Let's just drop it. I really don't want to talk about it right now." She whispered. Hilde nodded, then began to neatly fold her sister's shirts. It looked as though her sister had stuffed as much of her own clothes in to the suitcases, as she could.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that! Just stuff them into the drawer." Heidi commanded, taking the shirt from her and putting it into the drawer. Hilde shrugged and helped her to stuff the rest of her clothes into the dresser.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	3. CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

Daphne: "Hey! I've learned from some reviewers that they are confused about the characters and their families. So let me clear it up for you! Here are the characters, and their descriptions!  
  
*CHARACTERS*  
  
*HIIRAGIZAWAS*  
  
Eriol- husband of Tomoyo, big business man, but a loving father. He lives in England with his family, except for Heidi, who goes away to Japan for school.  
  
Tomoyo- wife of Eriol, fashion designer and all-around wonderful mother  
  
Heidi-16- (Older) Twin sister of Hilde. She is sporty, confident, and boy- crazy. But there is one boy she hates above all else...Kojii Li. Her best friend is Bailey and she lives with her grandmother in Japan...most of the time.  
  
Hilde-16- Twin sister of Heidi. She is shy, quiet, and goes to an all-girl school, so there are no boys, hence, the reason she has never been in love or had a crush. Her best friend is Akane, and she is very close to her brother, Yuki. Hilde is also very musical and loves to sing...when she is alone.  
  
Yuki-15- Younger brother of Heidi and Hilde. He is a practical joker, but he takes after his father in a lot of ways, including in his looks. He is very close to Hilde, but he tends to tease Heidi a lot. He also has a large crush on Mirah Kinomoto, (also known as Nirah, which is the name he called her when they were small), but is determined to keep it a secret.  
  
*LIS*  
  
Syaoran- husband of Sakura and the carefree leader of Hong Kong. He loves his freedom, but the elders are starting to get tired of him always being away, and want a more stationary leader.  
  
Sakura- wife of Syaoran. She is sweet, naive, and also loves her freedom in Japan. She calls her best friend, Tomoyo, almost every day, just to talk, which annoys her children to the breaking point.  
  
Kojii-18- He is fun-loving and mischievous, but he also has a coldness that surrounds his heart. He takes an evil delight in tormenting his enemy, Heidi Hiiragizawa, and he loves sports; he is the captain of the track team at his school. Kojii also likes to spend time doing sword exercises in his room, and does martial arts in his spare time.  
  
Meilei-16- Younger sister of Kojii, and spitting image of her mother. She is a little bolder than her mother, but she also has inherited the naïve- ness that is so cute. She doesn't mind Heidi, but since Heidi doesn't seem to like her, Meilei stays away. She has also inherited her brother's mischievousness, and has taken a strange delight in trying to push Heidi and Kojii together.  
  
*KINOMOTOS*  
  
Touya- husband of Nakuru, and business partner of Eriol. He is also the cousin-in-law of Eriol, and they live in the same house, only different wings.  
  
Nakuru- Cousin of Eriol, and wife of Touya. She is hyper and loving, but can be strict when it comes to her children. She is mostly a stay-at-home mother.  
  
Seamus-20- oldest son of Touya and Nakuru. He is now in college, but comes home a lot on the weekends to spend time with his family. He is not interested in dating, and believes that when the right woman comes, he will know.  
  
Mirah-14- Younger sister of Seamus. She is sweet and quiet, and looks up to Hilde, though the older girl does not know it. She also has a monster crush on Yuki, her second cousin. Though this would bother most fathers, Touya doesn't mind so much, since Yuki is almost like a son to him anyway.  
  
*BURNSIDES*  
  
Tyson- loving husband of Naoko and best friend of Eriol. He is also the co- founder of his and Eriol's company, which is now one of the largest in the world.  
  
Naoko- wife of Tyson and friend of Tomoyo. She works for Tomoyo as well, but spends a lot of time at home with her daughters. She is also a famous writer.  
  
Tara-17- Oldest daughter of Tyson and Naoko. She has her mother's brown hair and eyes, and also loves to write. She goes to an all-girls school with her sister and Hilde, but she has other friends that she tends to hang out with.  
  
Akane-16- Youngest daughter of Tyson and Naoko, and best friend of Hilde. Unlike her sister, she looks like her father, with her blonde hair and blue eyes. She also is very sensitive to people around her, and she can tell when something is wrong with them. Perhaps this is why she instantly befriended the quiet Hilde.  
  
*TERADAS*  
  
Yoshiyaki- husband of Rika, and ex-teacher of Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, Yamazaki, etc. He still teaches.  
  
Rika- Wife of Yoshi, and friend of Sakura, Tomoyo and Naoko.  
  
Jacob-18- oldest son of Yoshi and Rika, and friend of Kojii. As Heidi would say, he is one of Kojii's 'goons'.  
  
Issac-17- second oldest, and another friend of Kojii's. He has a small crush on Kojii's younger sister, Meilei, but he doesn't dare tell her.  
  
Luke-16- Youngest son and twin brother of Bailey. He is a rather quiet person, and doesn't find Kojii's group of friends very desirable. Plus, he hates to be in the shadows of his brothers.  
  
Bailey-16- only daughter and twin sister of Luke. She is the pride and joy of her mother, and spoiled rotten by her parents, because she is the only girl. She is Heidi's best friend, and only she knows about Heidi's twin sister, Hilde.  
  
*YAMAZAKIS*  
  
Yamazaki- husband of Chiharu and best friend of Syaoran. He likes to tell lies.  
  
Chiharu- wife of Yamazaki and friend of Rika, Naoko, Sakura, Tomoyo and Meiling. She tends to keep her husband a little calmer than he would normally be.  
  
Hiro- Only son of Yamazaki and Chiharu, and best friend of Kojii. He does *not* take after his father when it comes to lying. He is a mischief-maker, and hangs out with Kojii a bit too much, but he can also be calm and serious when need-be. He also has a secret crush on Heidi, but is afraid to make it known, both because of her reaction, and Kojii's.  
  
MEILING AND HER HUSBAND ARE NOT BROUGHT UP MUCH IN THIS STORY, BUT JUST IN CASE YOU ARE WONDERING, HERE IS THEIR FAMILY.  
  
*TENGS*  
  
Omata- husband of Meiling. He is a quiet character, and about all that is known of him is that he is very loving.  
  
Meiling- wife of Omata and cousin of Syaoran. She works in the Japan end of Tomoyo's company, and likes to call Sakura a lot, to see how everyone is doing.  
  
Samantha-14- Omata and Meiling's daughter.  
  
Andrew-10- Omata and Meiling's son. 


	4. Switching lives

Daphne: Third chapter! Yayayayayay!!! I am really happy with how this one turned out, and I hope you are too! Please review and tell me what you think!!!  
  
Oh, and another thing, to all of you who are still in school...  
  
SUCKS TO BE YOU! I GOT OUT OF SCHOOL 2 WEEKS AGO! HEHEHEHEHE!!! ^__^  
  
Sorry. Just had to get that out of my system! Anyway, on with the story!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 3.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"...We wish you a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year!"  
  
"Shut up, Heidi. You sound like a drunken mule." Yuki whined, sticking his still-sleepy face out of his room. Hilde and Heidi grinned at him and then continued singing in their duet. Just as Yuki had announced, Heidi could hardly keep the tune; but Hilde held the song beautifully, and eventually, Heidi stopped and allowed Hilde to continue on her own.  
  
"Oh, my achin' head." Eriol groaned jokingly, as he stumbled out of his room. Tomoyo was close behind him, tying her bathrobe shut.  
  
"PRESENTS!!!" Yuki shouted, sliding down the banister to the hall below and then running into the sitting room. Milly was all ready there, with cups of hot cocoa ready for them to drink.  
  
"Ummm! Cocoa! Thanks, Grandmama." Yuki crowed, taking a gulp of his, before he rocketed over to his stocking and began to dig through it. His parents rolled their eyes at each other as the girls, Hilde loosing all sense of her usual calm, did the same.  
  
"OH! These earrings! Grandmama, thank you!" Hilde murmured, hugging Milly. The older woman smiled as Heidi did the same, and Yuki thanked her for his new pocket knife.  
  
When they were through, they moved onto the bigger presents under the tree. Yuki got the new bike he had wanted, along with several book-certificates and joke-books. Heidi had gotten a basketball, a soccer-ball, several books on how to become a better sports player, and several other things. Hilde had gotten the CD's that she had wanted, several new books, an art set, some sheets of vocal-music, and lots more.  
  
"Breakfast-time." Milly announced when they were all through opening their gifts. The group tumbled into the dinning room, where Philipe, the butler, had a delightful breakfast set up. It consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash-browns, english muffins, cream cheese, a variety of fruits, several juices, and pop-overs.  
  
"MMM! Philip, you sure know how to cook!" Yuki announced. If he had been watching closely like Hilde, he would have seen a bit of red rush up to the older man's face. Hilde smiled and immersed herself with eating her food.  
  
After a little while, she noticed that Heidi's eyes were trained on her, and the other girl was frowning thoughtfully. Hilde quickly lowered her eyes, but not before she caught the mischievous gleam in her sister's eyes.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Hilde sighed as she settled onto her large bed, and opened the book she was reading. It was one of her new ones, that Touya and Nakuru had gotten for her.  
  
"Hilde? Can I come in?" A voice called through the closed door. Hilde raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Enter." She called back, watching as her nervous-looking sister entered the room. Heidi carefully shut the door and then crept over to Hilde's bed, sitting on it gingerly.  
  
"What is the matter?" Hilde asked in confusion. Heidi hesitated.  
  
"Hill...we look alike, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And if we had the same length of hair, no one would be able to tell the difference between us, correct?" At her sister's words, Hilde frowned.  
  
"Yes. Heidi, what are you on about?" She asked, shutting her book and placing it beside her. Heidi fidgeted, and refused to meet her eyes.  
  
"There's this big test coming up...in my music class. Everyone has to pass...or we might never graduate..."  
  
"Why is that a problem?" Hilde asked in confusion. Heidi groaned and buried her head in her hands.  
  
"We have to sing, Hill! SING! Me!" She wailed. Hilde grimaced. Heidi didn't have the best singing-voice in the world...all right, it was downright horrible. So it was no wonder that she was so upset.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Hilde asked softly. She couldn't see it, because Heidi's face was buried in her hands, but a sly glint appeared in her sister's eyes.  
  
"Well, we *are* identical...and you can sing..." She trailed off, her head lifting from her hands and her eyes meeting her sister's. Hilde then realized what her sister was going to suggest.  
  
"No! We can't!" She whispered, her eyes wide with shock. Heidi smirked.  
  
"We can! We can switch places. Just until Winter Term ends at my school. Come on! No one would suspect anything!" Heidi bounced on the bed, enjoying her sister's horrified look.  
  
"Heidi, I can't...we can't! We are nothing alike! And I hate sports. Wouldn't your fellow students become suspicious when you went from Sports Queen to Queen of lame?" Hilde exclaimed, her eyes even wider. Heidi grinned.  
  
"Easy. I can send a note with you, explaining that I hurt my...um...knee while here, and I can't play for a few months. And about our hair..." She trailed off, going over to the door that led to their bathroom. Inside, she reached under the sink and pulled something out.  
  
"Wigs! I got them in Tokyo, when Grandma took me a few weeks back. Aren't they just great?" She held out the shorter wig to her sister, and slid the longer one over her own hair. The wigs were the same color as their own hair, and they looked just as real.  
  
"We can't! Grandma Sonomi will be suspicious. And mom and daddy will notice."  
  
"Not if I act like you. I just hope that they don't ask me to sing."  
  
"Yuki will know." Hilde stated. Heidi snorted.  
  
"Bacon-brain won't be able to tell the difference. We have three days to prepare for this, before I have to go back to Japan, anyway. We can switch places on the final day, just for practice, and see if they notice anything." Heidi laughed, her eyes twinkling with excitement. Hilde winced.  
  
"I'm in trouble."  
  
"You've got that right! Come on, sis. We have some planning to do!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"All right. Here is my schedule for school. I have English first, then Chemistry, then Math, then Music. After that, I have lunch, then Social Studies, then Business, then P.E. I have track after school, but I will write you a note, explaining why you...or I can't run." Heidi rattled off. Hilde listened intently, making sure she wouldn't be confused. She watched as Heidi pulled a picture out of the piles of paper she had next to her. It was a class picture, full of smiling students and teachers.  
  
"Now...that is Terada-sensei. She is Bailey's mother, and she teaches English, like her husband. You know, my old Elementary-school teacher, Terada. Bailey's in English, Math, Business and P.E with you, so you should have no troubles, there." She went on.  
  
"All right."  
  
"Now, Meilei Li has Chemistry and Social Studies with you. I don't like her much...she's Kojii's sister after all, but she's nice enough, and will help you if you get stuck. Just try not to make me look stupid, all right?" Heidi asked, her eyes pleading. Hilde sighed.  
  
"I will do my best."  
  
"Good. Now, grandma's barely ever at home, but when she is, she likes to spend time with me. Just talk to her about anything. I know eventually she'll figure out what we've done, but she won't tell anyone. She's cool that way."  
  
"Now, this is Bailey's twin brother, Luke. I never see him much. And these are her older brothers, Jacob and Isaac. Jake's the oldest, he's eighteen and one of Li's goons. So is Isaac, and he's seventeen. There is Bailey, isn't she pretty? And this is Hiro Yamazaki. He's really nice, and even though he hangs with Li, he doesn't act like them." At these words, Heidi's cheeks reddened the tiniest bit.  
  
"There is Meilei Li...and that, that is Kojii Li." Heidi hissed, pointing at a boy next to the emerald-eyed beauty. He had naturally messy chestnut brown hair, and mischievous amber eyes.  
  
"He doesn't look so bad..." Hilde murmured, her eyes trained on this boy. Heidi sneered.  
  
"Wait until you meet him. You'll hate him in a minute." She spat, running a fingernail over the image of the boy, causing a line of orange to ruin the picture there.  
  
"Oh." Hilde murmured, wincing.  
  
"Now, you tell me about your school!" Heidi exclaimed, her perky attitude returning. Hilde smiled.  
  
"Here is my schedule. My friends are Akane and Tara. Akane is in most of my classes, but Tara is in music with us, and she is in my World History class, too. I walk to school with Akane, but Tara walks with her other friends. I never get into fights...remember that, please, and it is an all girl school, so try not to comment too much about boys." She murmured. Heidi grinned.  
  
"That'll be hard."  
  
"I do have music, but I can write you a note, saying that my doctor told me not to sing for a while. We can have mom sign the notes...she is too distracted to read what she signs. But I do hate to lie..."  
  
"Oh, come off it! This will be a blast! Just think. You'll be living my life for two and a half months, and I'll be living yours! It will be so funny!" Heidi laughed. Hilde smiled, her excitement getting the best of her.  
  
"Tomorrow's the test-run. We switch places at dawn!" Heidi stated. Hilde smiled and got up from her bed.  
  
"Come on. Dinner will be soon." She murmured, back to her old self. Heidi smiled and threw her arm around her sister's shoulder, as they walked out of the room together.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning, the girls were up at five-thirty, perfecting their scheme.  
  
"Now, you have to use slang words, and slip into Japanese, occasionally. Thank heavens mum had us learn fluently!" Heidi stated, as she finished adjusting her clothes. She was in a white blouse and lavender skirt that reached to her knees. Her hair was pulled up in the long wig, and she had done the wig into a braid.  
  
Hilde was wearing a long, white T-shirt that had the phrase 'BITE ME' written on the front, and a pair of faded jeans. She too, had pulled her hair up into the short wig, and had left it down, just like her sister would.  
  
"And you have to be proper." Hilde reminded her, adjusting the shirt for the fifth time. Heidi smirked.  
  
"Now, you go down first, then me." She muttered, walking out of the bathroom and into Hilde's room. Hilde gave a sigh and walked into Heidi's room, opening the door and going down stairs.  
  
"Morning, mum." She called, trying to act energetic like her sister. Tomoyo looked up and smiled.  
  
"Good morning, Heidi. How did you sleep?"  
  
"Great." Hilde stated, sitting down and digging into her food like she knew her sister did. Looking up, she saw Yuki shooting disdainful looks at her.  
  
"Any faster and you'd be a cow." He teased. Hilde forced herself to frown.  
  
"Any more annoying and you'd be a maggot. Oh, wait! You already are." She snapped, bowing her head to keep the blush from being seen. There was a soft snort from behind them, and Hilde looked up to see Heidi standing in the doorway.  
  
"Good morning, mummy." Heidi murmured, kissing her mother's cheek. Tomoyo smiled at her other daughter. Heidi sat down and shot a smile at her brother.  
  
"Good morning, Yuki." She said softly. Yuki smiled.  
  
"'Morning."  
  
When they were through, and Tomoyo and Eriol had dashed off to work, the two girls returned to their rooms.  
  
"We did it! They didn't suspect a thing! And mom signed the notes!" Hilde whispered in shock. Heidi grinned.  
  
"I told you so. See. We are better actors than you thought!" She laughed. Hilde smiled.  
  
But this was just the beginning. The real test would be the next day, then Hilde went to Japan in Heidi's place.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"At this time we would like to ask all passengers to place their seats in the upright position..."  
  
Hilde jumped as she heard the plane-pilot's instructions. All through the trip, she had been quite nervous, jumping whenever a flight attendant spoke to her, and wincing whenever a sharp noise was heard. She had tried to calm herself with reading a book, and watching the movie that was playing, but all to no avail.  
  
She waited tensely as the plane landed, and taxied into the gate. Being in first class, she was going to be one of the first off. Quickly smoothing down the traveling suit that Heidi had worn the morning of her arrival, she gathered her bags and walked off the plane.  
  
"Heidi-chan!"  
  
Hilde turned in alarm, that quickly melted into relief as the woman she knew as her grandmother, came into view. With a bright smile, she walked forward, submitting to Sonomi's tight hug.  
  
"How was your trip, love?" Her grandmother asked. Hilde tried to think of how Heidi would answer this.  
  
"Same old. Mum worried over me, dad treated me like a kid, Yuki bugged the hell out of me, and Shy-by was the same as ever." She stated, wincing as she cursed. She had never cussed in her life, but Heidi had demanded that she learn, so she could sound just like her. Luckily, her grandmother bought it.  
  
"Well, you're home now. Come on. Why don't we go out to dinner?" She suggested, leading Hilde out of the airport and to the waiting limo. This was one aspect of Heidi's life that Hilde was quite used to. She had rode in her father's limo's many times back home, so this wasn't new to her. But the scenery going by outside the limo's windows, was.  
  
Having rarely been in Japan, and only for summer vacations, Hilde was quite taken by the scenes that she glimpsed outside the windows. Snow covered the sides of the roads and sidewalks. People walking past were bundled up warmly, and little children could be seen throwing snowballs at each other; although, some of the snowball-throwers happened to be the parents of the little children...  
  
"I missed this place." Hilde sighed, completely surprising herself. Sonomi smiled and pulled her close.  
  
"I missed you. You know, you are like a daughter to me. You and your sister, when she's here. Your mother has grown so much, and no longer seems to need me. But at least I have you to care for." The woman laughed. Hilde, having never seen this side of her grandmother, smiled brightly.  
  
"Mother still needs you, you know. She really does." Hilde commented. Sonomi looked at her for a moment, then smiled.  
  
"And I need you." Was all she said.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*RING!*  
  
Hilde groaned and rolled over in her bed, looking at the time. The clock on her bed-side table said, 11: 50 p.m. Hilde wondered who on earth would be calling this late.  
  
*RING!*  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Heidi-chan?! It's Bailey! You're home!"  
  
Immediately, Hilde's senses became more aware, and she sat up, clutching her sister's cell-phone. Before she had left, Heidi had insisted that Hilde use her cell-phone instead, or it might arouse some suspicion.  
  
"Yeah. I got in earlier this afternoon." She answered, struggling to slip into her sister's way of speaking.  
  
"Why didn't you call me?"  
  
"Grand...gram took me out to dinner. I was so tired when we got back, that I just conked out the moment I touched my bed." Hilde forced a laugh here, and Bailey giggled.  
  
"Why am I not surprised. But anyway, I was thinking about doing a little before-school shopping tomorrow. You want to come with?"  
  
"Sure. What time?"  
  
"How about I pick you up at nine-thirty. Mom's loaning me the car, so we have the whole day." Bailey stated. Hilde began to feel excited. Never before had she gone shopping without an adult.  
  
"All right. See you then."  
  
"Bye, Di!" With this, the other girl hung up and Hilde was left to think about what was going on. Then it hit her.  
  
She was living her sister's life! No one, not even their friends would ever know, and what she did in these next few months, would effect Heidi's life forever, and perhaps her own as well!  
  
"Breathe. Just breathe, and don't think about it." She muttered to herself, turning over and allowing the wave of black to swamp her senses.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"HEIDI!!!"  
  
"BAILEY!" Hilde shrieked, throwing herself into the arms of the pretty red- head. She noticed that Bailey wasn't that much taller than her, and that her pretty red-brown hair fell in curls to her waist. Hilde liked this girl already.  
  
"Wow! Look at you! You're even prettier than when you left! So, how was your trip?" Bailey asked, as they got into the red sports-convertible.  
  
"All right. Yuki was his normal, pig-brained self. Mum and dad were same- old-same-old, Hilde was...Shy-by, and I...I got really hurt." She muttered, trying to sound annoyed. Bailey looked startled.  
  
"How?!"  
  
"I was chasing Yuki down a flight of stairs after he tried to prank me, and I tripped over Spinel, our cat, and fell head-first down the stairs. I dislocated my knee, and the doctor said I can't do any sports for at least two and a half months." Hilde complained in her sister's usual drawl. Bailey looked absolutely flabbergasted.  
  
"OH! Di, that's horrible! Kojii's going to tease you more, now."  
  
"Oh?" Hilde asked in a nonchalant voice, raising her eyebrow.  
  
"He was over at my house a few days ago, and he kept going on about how he was going to wallop you in track when we get back from break. He's going to take this as a total scream." Bailey moaned. Hilde shrugged.  
  
"Don't sweat it. I'll think of something to make him fall off of his high- horse." She stated. Bailey gave her a searching look as they pulled into a mall parking-space.  
  
"High-horse?"  
  
"Oh. It's a phrase I learned from Hilde's friend, Akane." Hilde quickly recovered, trying not to show her panic at her mistake. Bailey accepted this, and they quickly waked into the mall.  
  
"Food courts, or shopping, first?" Bailey asked.  
  
"Food courts."  
  
"Why am I not surprised!" Bailey laughed, her brown eyes sparkling. Hilde giggled and they quickly went to get their food, Bailey heading for the pizza place, and Hilde going over to the Panda Express restaurant. They had these in England, and she liked the food there. When they had gotten their food, they quickly found a place near the outskirts of the food-court to talk and eat.  
  
When they were through, the girls quickly went into one of the clothes stores, and began to look around. Hilde saw several outfits that she knew could have only come from one place; her mother's company. With a smile, she looked these over, and pointed out a dress that would have looked astonishing on Bailey. Bailey fell in love with it at once, and slipped on the baby-blue dress.  
  
"Are you going to buy it?" Hilde called over the dressing-room door.  
  
"Are you kidding, of course! I love it!" Bailey shrieked, coming out dressed in her normal clothes. Hilde grinned and allowed the other girl to drag her over to the girl's section.  
  
"Now, I don't care what you say. We're getting you a whole new look." Bailey stated. Hilde simply shrugged and smiled. It was about time Heidi got a new look! Perhaps a few new clothes in her closet when she got home, wouldn't hurt her.  
  
"Here. Try on these." Bailey commanded, shoving a pile of dresses, skirts, blouses and spaghetti-strap shirts into her arms. Hilde looked at the large pile and suppressed a moan.  
  
It was going to be a long day!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So...how was your day?" Asked a voice over the line. Hilde smiled as she heard Heidi's eager voice.  
  
"Just fine. I met your Bailey, and she's a treasure. And I got you some new clothes."  
  
"WHAT?!" Heidi shrieked, thanking her lucky stars that she had called her sister from their bathroom. Hilde, who was hiding in her own bathroom (just in case Sonomi walked in), grinned.  
  
"It was just some dresses, skirts, spaghetti-strap shirts, plus some really pretty lingerie." Hilde quickly assured her. Heidi growled.  
  
"Excuse me? You're not going to wear them to *my* school, are you? That'd ruin my rep before anything else!" She cried. Hilde smiled.  
  
"Bailey's making me. But don't worry. She's going to explain everything to anyone who asks." She assured her sister. Heidi gave a sigh of relief.  
  
"Good."  
  
"How are things there?"  
  
"All right. No body suspects a thing. You know, Yuki is actually nice. He came up with some candy earlier today, and gave it to me."  
  
"He always does that for me." Hilde murmured, a wave of nostalgia wafting over her. Suddenly, she missed her little brother very much.  
  
"And Akane came over today. She didn't suspect anything, either. You know, she's nice."  
  
"You're going soft."  
  
"And if you tell anyone, I swear I'm going to fly there and give you a taste of Old Betsy!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Nothing. It was from a cartoon I saw once." Heidi explained. Hilde raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.  
  
"Just be careful, Shy-by. I don't want you getting into any trouble." Heidi stated. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I'll be alright. But I have to go. School is tomorrow, you know." She murmured.  
  
"Talk to you soon, sis."  
  
"I love you, Heidi. Goodbye."  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	5. Sick

Daphne: Sorry its taken me so long to up-load this chapter. I came down with a stomach bug, and I am still shaky, making it impossible for me to type correctly. I am still having trouble as I write this, so please forgive me!  
  
Someone, namely 'Midnight Blossom', told me that this story was sort of like the 'Miracle Girls' manga. And guess what! It is!!! I got the idea of some of the twin's quirks from the twins in 'Miracle Girls', but the plot line has been in my head for ages. It was really smart of you to point that out, though! And just for the record..  
  
'MIRACLE GIRLS' ROCKS!!! I love the manga, and I read it over and over as much as I can! Jackson and Chris are so cute, ne? But personally, I like Mason the best! ^__^ hehehehehehehe!!!  
  
Ahem. On with the story!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 4.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Heidi! Over here!" Bailey called, her brown hair swinging out behind her as she ran. Hilde turned and smiled at her new (or old), friend.  
  
"'Morning, Bailey." She laughed, her amethyst eyes sparkling with excitement. Her first day at a co-educational school!  
  
"Man, there are a lot of boys, here." She murmured, unaware that she was speaking outloud. Bailey gave her a funny look.  
  
"There always are. So, who do you have a crush on this week?" She asked teasingly. Hilde's face heated up and her ducked her head.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Oh, that's a first. Usually, you have a whole list of at least ten guys!" Bailey laughed, leading them to their lockers. Heidi had shown Hilde a map of her school, so she knew relatively where her locker was. Finding it was easy, opening it was easy...but trying to find her schoolbooks under all the junk that Heidi kept in her locker was not easy.  
  
"This girl is a pack-rat." Hilde mumbled.  
  
"Finally admitting your species, Hiiragizawa?" Came a cold voice from behind her. Hilde gasped and turned in confusion. Her eyes caught a pair of amber ones, and held them. It was Kojii Li! She knew him immediately, by that look in his eyes; the same one that had been on her sister's picture.  
  
"Excuse me?" She asked, her confusion making her neglect the fact that she was supposed to be acting like her sister. Kojii raised a haughty eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, now we're playing innocent. How cute. Oh, and by the way, I got a better score than you on the basketball-drill test! You came in second!" He crowed, his three friends grinning behind him. Hilde recognized the hateful tone in his voice, and something welled up in her chest, choking her. She blinked back the tears that came to her eyes and bravely met his amber orbs.  
  
"That is nice." She murmured, kicking her locker closed with her foot and then pulling Bailey away from the scene. The four boys stared after her in astonishment; Kojii's mouth fell open and confusion marred his handsome face. For a moment, Heidi Hiiragizawa had looked almost...hurt. But that was impossible, right?  
  
"That was brilliant! Did you see the looks on their faces?!" Bailey giggled. Hilde shot her a weak smile as they entered their English class room. They waved to Bailey's mother, and then took their seats at the back of the room.  
  
"I suppose you're going with the hurt and innocent looks this term? It sure worked! They didn't know what hit them!" Bailey laughed. Before Hilde could say anything, the final bell rang and kids piled into the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*ONE WEEK LATER*  
  
Hilde weakly made her way out into the school-yard, and dragged her weary body to a tree at the far end of the yard. It was a cherry tree, but the blossoms were gone and snow was piled on the branches. With an exhausted sigh, she dropped down into a cold pile of snow below it and smiled. The snow was soothing on her hot body.  
  
It had been a week since she had first arrived at the school, but she was already wishing she was back in England with her mother, father and brother. It wasn't that the classes were hard, or that Japan was awful. No, it was because of a certain boy. A boy she couldn't seem to get the best of; Kojii Li. After that first day, he had taken to teasing her mercilessly about the smallest things.  
  
First it was the fact she couldn't do any sports on account of her 'dislocated knee'. He seemed to get a huge charge out of pretending to trip down flights of stairs and other such things, just as she was in viewing distance.  
  
The next was that she couldn't seem to retaliate to anything he said to her. Whenever he said something offensive, her Hilde-side of herself would take over, and she would barely be able to keep her tears in. So instead she would bite her lip and turn away with her head down; and he would laugh.  
  
Today, he had decided to tease her about her sudden success in the Music class. The teacher had decided to do a little quiz, each student singing a song that she chose for them. The teacher did it in order from the best singers to the worst, and Hilde was put as the last singer. By the time the teacher had gotten to her, the poor sensei looked like she would be sick; but she suggested the song, and began to play on the piano.  
  
A soft, beautiful melody emitted from deep inside Hilde's body. Her voice was bright like the sun, and refreshing like a spring rain. Everyone, including Bailey, simply stared at the girl standing next to the piano, their eyes wide with disbelief and shock. The bell rang, and still no one had moved.  
  
The teacher had finally recovered and excused the embarrassed girl from class. Little did she know, Kojii had gotten out of his class a bit early, and had been walking by the Music room just as she started to sing.  
  
At first, the boy had stopped in amazement, wondering who could sing like that. Then, when he caught sight of the singer, disgust had filled his chest. By the time class was released, he had come up with a dozen or more insults to throw at the poor girl.  
  
And that was why she was here now.  
  
Hot tears spilled down Hilde's red cheeks and she finally let the sobs escape from her lips. No one was in sight; they all thought it was too cold to be outside. So the girl cried in peace, her face buried in the snow that melted quickly under her hot tears. She didn't notice the cold, she didn't feel the snow melting into her clothes and soaking her skin; she never even heard the foot-steps behind her.  
  
"Hiiragizawa? What in the hell are you doing out here?"  
  
Hilde choked on a gasp, and fought back the sobs that were riveting her throat. She hid her face from Kojii Li, who was standing behind her, arms folded on his chest.  
  
"Go away, Li." She managed in a strangled voice. Kojii stared at her for a moment, his eyes registering mild alarm.  
  
"Are you all right, Hiiragizawa? You've been acting weird." He stated, folding his arms even tighter to his body, and looking at the girl below him. For some reason, he didn't feel like being mean to her right then.  
  
"For God's sake, just leave me alone, Li, please!" She choked, her arms coming up to surround her face. For some reason, she felt very cold...and not just because of the snow. A few minutes ago, she had been hotter than Hades, but now...  
  
"You're sick, Hiiragizawa." The young man stated in a monotone voice. Hilde, realizing he must be right, let out a bitter laugh.  
  
"You just figured that out?" She hissed. There was silence for a moment, then Kojii reached down suddenly and turned her over, looking into her face. Her cheeks were flushed abnormally, and her eyes were bright, and not just from tears.  
  
"You have a fever. We'd better get you to the nurse's office." He stated, helping her up. She swayed and fell forward, colliding with his firm chest. She was too dizzy to even notice that his cheeks turned red.  
  
"Why are you out here?" She asked, trying to shake off her dizziness. He sighed.  
  
"I come here to think. I guess I won't get to do it today, though. Come on. I don't want you barfing on me." He grumbled, helping her inside the building. She managed to shoot him a disdainful glance.  
  
"I'm not that sick."  
  
And with this, her world turned black and she fell limp in the alarmed boy's arms.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Kojii, is that you? What's wrong?" Sakura Li asked anxiously. The boy paused, looking at the still, pale girl on the bed next to him. He had carried her clear to the nurse's office, and was told to call her grandmother to take her home. But when he did, no one answered the phone. So he used his last resort and called his mother.  
  
"It's not me, mom. It's Hiiragizawa Heidi. She's sick, and we can't reach her grandmother." He said. There was a gasp on the other end of the line.  
  
"How bad is it?"  
  
"She's fainted. The nurse says it's not bad enough to take to the hospital...yet. But whoever takes her home will have to look after her." He groaned.  
  
"You stay there. I'll be right there to pick you up. We'll bring her over here, and then I'll leave a message with Sonomi to tell her where Heidi is." Sakura said, hanging up the phone. Kojii stared at the phone in his own hand for a moment, then hung it up.  
  
"Well?" The school nurse asked, looking worried. Kojii shrugged.  
  
"My mom's coming to pick us up. She knows Hiiragizawa's mom, so it's all good." He stated. The nurse eyed him.  
  
"You'd better not make any trouble for her, Kojii Li. She may not be sick enough for the Hospital, but she is quite sick. She will need rest. Heaven knows why she was out there without her coat!" The nurse chided, looking at the pale girl in the bed.  
  
Hilde's hair (wig) spilled over the white pillow and contrasted with it beautifully. Her pale cheeks held a tinge of red, from the fever, and she was deathly still, only occasionally shivering. The nurse gave one last look at the girl, then left the room to inform the office of the two checking out.  
  
Kojii was left to stare at the still form of his arch rival. He finally realized that she was a human being as well, susceptible to the pains and illnesses of real people. Before now, she had seemed like more of an enigma to him, untouchable and invulnerable.  
  
"Kojii?" Came the soft voice of Sakura Li. Kojii looked up in relief as his mother stepped into the room. She looked at the girl on the bed and her face fell.  
  
"Oh, poor thing. Kojii, I'll need you to carry her to the car." She murmured. Kojii figured that it was no use to argue, and did as he was told.  
  
Great. His number one enemy was staying at his home. Just great.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Hilde moaned and slowly opened her eyes. Confusion and fear swept over her as she first realized that she was in a strange, dark room; then pain washed over her as she tried to gasp. Her lungs burned at the effort, and her throat stung. She fell back against the fluffy pillows on the bed and looked around with wide eyes, trying to remember what had happened to her.  
  
She had been talking/arguing with Kojii, then he had told her to come inside, they had talked more, then...everything had gone black. She remembered nothing beyond that.  
  
"Oh! You're awake." Came a soft, motherly voice. Hilde turned her head in surprise, as a woman stepped out of the shadows, carrying a tray of food. Hilde had seen this woman in pictures that her mother had; it was Sakura Li, her mother's best friend.  
  
"How did I get here?" Hilde finally managed, her voice scratchy and weak. Sakura smiled and set the tray down, putting a cool hand on the hot forehead.  
  
"Kojii took you to the nurse, and when they couldn't get a-hold of your grandmother, they called us, instead." The woman murmured. Hilde sighed.  
  
"Gram went to Tokyo for a few days. I was supposed to stay with the bodyguards."  
  
"I know. We found out when we called again to tell them where you were. But they decided it would be best for you to stay here until you got better. And that's just fine with me! I've always hoped to have a chance to get to know the children of my best friends!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. Hilde shot her a weak smile.  
  
"Thank you for your kindness." She murmured, as Sakura reached for a cup of tea and held it to Hilde's lips. Sakura smiled.  
  
"You're welcome. But the real person to thank, is Kojii. He helped you the most, you know." Sakura reminded her. Hilde blushed. She had just realized how Kojii must have gotten her to the nurse and to his own home; he had carried her.  
  
"I will thank him." She promised. Sakura gave a satisfied nod and then helped Hilde to eat the soup she had brought.  
  
"Mom? Aunt Tomoyo's on the phone for you." Came a girl's voice from the doorway. Hilde immediately recognized it as Meilei, Kojii's sister. Sakura gave a soft squeal and raced from the room with the tray. Meilei laughed and came further into the room.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"All right." Hilde said, her voice soft. She had only met this girl once, and she had seemed nice enough, but Heidi seemed to dislike her...  
  
"Liar. You're feeling horrible, I can tell." Meilei stated, coming over and sitting on the edge of the bed. Hilde shrugged.  
  
"I shouldn't have stayed out in the snow for so long. It's my own fault." She murmured. Meilei gave a snort.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked abruptly. Hilde looked startled.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You're not Heidi. Heidi would never let my brother get away with all he has this week. She would have pounded him. So either you went through one heck of a change over winter break, or you're not Heidi. And I'm guessing the second one." Meilei stated, plopping a framed picture down onto Hilde's lap.  
  
Hilde looked at the picture and choked. It was of her family, all of them. Her parents were in the back, arms around each other. She and Heidi were kneeling in front of them, smiles on both of their faces, and Yuki was sprawled in front of them, grinning cheekily at the camera.  
  
"You're this one, aren't you?" Meilei asked, pointing at the picture of the longer-haired girl; her. Hilde sighed and then turned pleading eyes on the other girl, knowing that she couldn't lie.  
  
"I am. But please don't tell anyone! I promised Heidi..."  
  
"I won't say a word. But now that we have that covered, what is your name, and why are you here?" Meilei asked. Hilde broke down and told her everything, from the time Heidi had begged her to switch places, to the moments where she couldn't find it in her heart to argue with Kojii. When she finished, Meilei sat gaping.  
  
"Wow. You've gone through a lot." She managed. Hilde winced.  
  
"Yeah. And I still have a little more than two months to live through. Its all right, but I don't like having to compete with Kojii, or lying to Bailey. She's my sister's best friend, and I feel like I'm cheating her. I mean, she's nice and everything, but she's my sister's friend, not mine." Hilde whispered. Meilei smirked.  
  
"To tell you the truth, I didn't suspect a thing until you started being nice to me. I mean, Heidi would never look at me twice." She murmured. Hilde smiled wistfully.  
  
"Yes, she's like that. But you are perfectly nice, and I don't see why she doesn't like you."  
  
"Probably because I am the sister of her dreaded arch-enemy. She thinks that I'm like him."  
  
"You are not."  
  
"I know. I'm the decent one of the family!" Meilei's emerald eyes sparkled with humor and Hilde couldn't help but laugh; bad idea. Now her throat hurt even more.  
  
"You should get some rest." Meilei commented, seeming to understand. Hilde nodded and gave her a grateful look.  
  
"See you later, Hiiragizawa!" She called over her shoulder, teasingly. Hilde grinned.  
  
"Later, Li."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh, that's just terrible! Thank you so much, Sakura! I'd better go tell the others, so they don't get worried. Talk to you soon! Goodbye!" Tomoyo chirped, as she hung up the phone. The rest of her family sat around the table, looking worried.  
  
"What was wrong?" Eriol asked as Tomoyo returned to her seat.  
  
"Heidi got sick at school today. Kojii had to carry her to the nurse's office." Tomoyo stated. Yuki's eyes widened and the real Heidi choked on her food.  
  
"Where is she now?" Eriol asked in worry.  
  
"She is over at Sakura's, because mother is on a business trip." Tomoyo explained. Heidi winced.  
  
"You mean she's staying over at Li's? She hates him!" Heidi cried. Her family stared at her.  
  
"She'll have to live with it, then. They've been very kind to help her. Meilei seems to have taken to playing nurse, and she is helping to take care of Heidi. Don't worry, Hilde-darling. Heidi is in good hands." Tomoyo stated, going back to her meal.  
  
Yuki looked over at his usually calm sister and saw her frowning.  
  
"What's the matter with you, Hill?" He hissed, making sure that his parents didn't hear. Her frown disappeared and she shot him a smile.  
  
"Just worried, that's all." She whispered. He nodded and went back to his food. Heidi played with her food and seethed inside.  
  
Of all the places to get sick, Hilde just had to choose the Li's! How pathetic!  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	6. Kojii needs a psychiatrist

JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 5.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Here's your homework for today." Meilei called, as she entered Hilde's room. The curtains over the big windows were flung open to allow the bright mid-day sun in. Hilde was sitting up in bed, reading a book that Meilei had loaned her.  
  
"Oh, thank you." She murmured, smiling at her new friend. Over the past few days, she and Meilei had become quite close, Hilde sharing all of her fears and hopes for the future, and Meilei telling her the same.  
  
"So, has Heidi called today?" Meilei asked, jumping onto the end of the bed. Hilde laughed and shook her head.  
  
"Not yet." She stated, looking over her homework. Meilei jumped lightly on the end of the bed, giggling for no particular reason. Suddenly, the girls heard a metallic *clang*, and then the hiss of something solid moving through the air. Meilei rolled her eyes.  
  
"I swear, he's going to kill himself, one of these days." She muttered. Hilde looked confused.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Oh, Kojii has been taught in the arts of sword-fighting all of his life. He tends to practice in the afternoons, after school. He does it in his room, but I am sure that someday, he is going to hurt something, whether it be one of his possessions, or himself." Meilei laughed lightly. Hilde jumped.  
  
"You mean he is right next door?" She asked in slight wonder. Meilei nodded.  
  
"Didn't mom tell you? When Kojii and I were small, we would fight a lot, so mother and daddy made sure to put one room in between us. You are presently in that room. My room's on the left side, and his room is just beyond this wall." Meilei stated, pointing at the wall above Hilde's head-board. Hilde gasped and looked quickly down at her papers.  
  
*RING!*  
  
"There's Heidi!" Meilei stated, her eyes sparkling for the conversation ahead; but for once, Meilei was wrong.  
  
"Hello?" Hilde asked softly. There was a long pause, then:  
  
"WHERE IN THE HELL ARE YOU?!?!"  
  
"Akane?!" Hilde asked in shock, holding the phone slightly away from her ear. Meilei's eyes widened in shock, and she sat back to listen.  
  
"It's me. Where are you?" The girl asked again, calmer this time. Hilde sighed.  
  
"How did you find out?"  
  
"You're my best friend. Friends know these things. But if you must know, I caught Heidi taking off her wig this afternoon. I used *your* cell phone to figure out her number, and called you. Why on earth are you doing this, Hilde?" Akane asked, her voice genuinely worried.  
  
"Heidi asked me to. You see..." She went on to tell her friend about Heidi's plan, her trip to Japan, her illness, and the ultimate revealing of their secret by Meilei. By the end of the story, however, Akane was practically rolling on the floor laughing, at the antics of Kojii and his friends.  
  
"So then, Meilei and I listened into one of his phone conversations with Jacob Terada. It went something like this: 'Oh my g*d! NO way, man!' 'Are you screwing me? That is not cool!'." Hilde laughed, as Akane continued laughing. Meilei was also giggling hysterically, her emerald eyes beginning to tear up from the suppressed laughter.  
  
"Oh, no! Hill, mom just came in and I have to go. But I'll call back tomorrow, all right?" Akane asked in a rushed voice. Hilde agreed and then hung up the phone. The two girls took one look at each other and burst out laughing again.  
  
"Mou (Gee), you two are annoying. Meilei, mom wants you downstairs." Kojii stated, coming into the room. Meilei shot him a glare and then left the room, winking at Hilde. This was the first time since her collapse that she had seen Kojii, so Hilde wasn't quite sure what to say to him. He stood uncomfortably in the doorway, not quite sure of what to do, either.  
  
"I...I wanted to thank you for everything you did." She finally managed. Kojii's face turned pink and he frowned.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"That day I got sick. Thank you for helping me." She whispered, afraid that another argument was coming. Instead, Kojii simply stared at her.  
  
"You're acting strange. And you're getting chummy with my little sister. What is wrong with you?" He asked sharply. Hilde winced.  
  
"Maybe I'm tired of fighting with you all the time. Maybe I find your sister *nice*, and I want to get to know her. Hey, you never know. Perhaps I'll continue fighting you someday, but for now, I'm calling a truce, whether you like it or not." She stated dryly, a strange boldness filling her. Kojii's eyes widened in shock, and then he smirked.  
  
"Fine with me, Hiiragizawa. But this is going to make my life a whole lot more boring."  
  
"Or a whole lot more interesting. You never know, Li." She commented, laughing a little. Now his smirk melted into a true smile.  
  
"You might be right."  
  
"Now get out of here, before I change my mind." She commanded. Kojii raised an eyebrow and his smirk returned.  
  
"Oh, I'm scared!" He exclaimed, shutting the door just in time; a pillow hit the door with a *wham*, and fell to the floor harmlessly.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Well, Heidi, it is nice to finally meet you."  
  
Hilde looked up at the tall, smiling man above her and grinned. Syaoran Li, Sakura's husband, had just arrived home from a long trip to Hong Kong. After a week, Hilde had finally been allowed to come downstairs for short amounts of time. Today, she was going to be joining the family at dinner, something Meilei and Sakura both seemed to be thrilled about, for some reason; now she knew why. Syaoran was home!  
  
"Nice to meet you too, Li-sama." Hilde murmured. Syaoran chuckled.  
  
"Call me Syaoran. I hate formalities." He stated. Sakura raised her eyebrow at him.  
  
"Oh, you do? Since when?" She snickered, her eyes twinkling at him. Syaoran growled and yanked her into his arms, dipping her low as he kissed her. Meilei and Hilde rolled their eyes at each other and grinned as the adults finally returned to their senses.  
  
"Since now, apparently." Came a sarcastic voice from the doorway. The group turned and saw Kojii leaning against the doorjamb.  
  
"Hey, dad. Welcome back." He said, walking over and giving his dad a 'manly' hug. Syaoran groaned.  
  
"Since when were you taller than me, son?" He asked. The girls burst into giggles as they realized that indeed, Kojii was a bit taller than his father. The boy grinned and sat down at the table.  
  
"Since now, apparently." He repeated, causing more laughter. But Syaoran's face was quickly sobering.  
  
"Syao, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, as she took her seat beside him. Syaoran waited until they were all settled and eating, before he began.  
  
"The elder's are getting restless. They want a leader who will stay in Hong Kong, at least for a few years, and keep the country steady. Mother's getting older, you know, and she is getting tired of doing my job." He murmured. Sakura turned fearful eyes towards him.  
  
"They want us to go back?" She asked hesitantly. Syaoran shook his head.  
  
"No. They want Kojii to go." He stated. Kojii choked on his food, Meilei spit out the water she had sipped, Sakura went deathly pale, and Hilde simply gaped.  
  
"WHAT?!" Came two voices, Meilei's and Kojii's. Syaoran sighed.  
  
"They wish for you to continue your college education there. To stay and take the work-load off your grandmother. I asked them to wait a few more years, just until you two were out of the house, so your mother and I could return for you, but they think it would be better if we stayed and did not rush home." He stated. Kojii put down his fork and looked thoughtful, while Meilei looked horrified.  
  
"HIM?! Run a country? Are they crazy?" She shrieked. Syaoran smiled.  
  
"No. Just suicidal." He countered. Kojii shot him a glare.  
  
"Well, I was planning on going to college there anyway. I suppose it wouldn't hurt." He murmured, still looking thoughtful. Sakura had gotten over her shock, and was now looking proudly at her son.  
  
"You will make a wonderful leader, Kojii. Just as long as it's only until your education is over. I couldn't bear to be away from you so long." She murmured. Syaoran nodded in agreement. Kojii grinned and nonchalantly continued eating his food.  
  
"Yeah, but by the time it is time for me to return, you will be leaving and taking my place." He reminded them. Both of his parents frowned, while Meilei and Hilde laughed at their confused expressions. Kojii found himself watching 'Heidi' laughing, and smiled a little. Perhaps she wasn't so bad after all...  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"He's going WHERE?!?!" Heidi shouted in a triumphant voice. Hilde held the phone away from her ear and winced. There was a giggle on the other line.  
  
"Heidi, calm down." Akane laughed. The three girls were using three-way calling, and Hilde was using the Li's phone line, to make things easier. Hilde had just told them where Kojii was going to be living for the next few years. In short, Heidi was ecstatic.  
  
"He's going to China. The elders wanted..."  
  
"What do I care what the elders wanted?! He's leaving! No more Kojii Li!!!" Heidi shrieked. Akane laughed again.  
  
"I can tell she's happy. But Hilde, how are you? Are you feeling better?"  
  
"After two weeks of being spoiled to death by the Li's, yes, I'm feeling fine." Hilde assured her. Then, another voice came onto the line.  
  
"*We* didn't spoil you. Kojii did. He was the one getting all your homework this week." Meilei stated, a mischievous tone in her voice; she was on the line in her room. Heidi groaned.  
  
"Your brother is becoming too close to my sister, Mei. That's not fair!" She complained. Hilde sighed.  
  
"He's really nice once you get to know him." She commented timidly. Heidi growled.  
  
"No, he's a monster! He and all of his friends!" Her sister insisted. Meilei let out a giggle.  
  
"Um...just for your information, you seemed to be quite fond of Hiro last time I checked. He's the only one of the group you're civil to, and you blush whenever he's around." She informed them. Akane and Hilde began to laugh along, but it was obvious that Heidi did not find this at all funny.  
  
"I...I don't like him! He's just nice to me, that's all!"  
  
"Yeah, and alligators make good pets. Come on, Heidi. Admit it!"  
  
"Fine! I like him, all right? But if you tell a single soul..."  
  
"We won't!" The three other girls chimed, still giggling. Then Meilei went serious.  
  
"I think he likes you too, Heidi. Whenever Hilde's talking with Kojii, Hiro seems to get really touchy and anxious, almost like he doesn't want to think that Kojii is competition. Since they think Hilde's you, he obviously thinks that you are falling for Kojii." She stated. Heidi stammered in anger.  
  
"WAIT! Hilde is acting love-sick around Li? How could you, sis?"  
  
"I'm not! I'm just being nice..."  
  
"Yeah, if flirting is being nice." Meilei grumbled softly; but everyone heard her.  
  
"WHAT?!?!"  
  
"I am not flirting!"  
  
"OH! My best friend has a crush!" Akane added, giggling hysterically. Hilde groaned while Heidi sputtered in rage.  
  
"I swear, this is all going to end when I get there!" She hissed. Hilde winced at her sister's tone, and Meilei did as well.  
  
"I know it is, Heidi. But please...be gentle when you break it to him. I don't want him to think I'm a complete prick." Hilde murmured. Heidi laughed saucily.  
  
"Don't you mean, that '*I'm* a complete prick'?" She asked.  
  
"You've got that right!" Akane crowed. The girls laughed and then continued to talk long into the night.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"HEIDI! YOU'RE BACK!" Bailey shrieked, throwing herself into Hilde's arms. Hilde giggled and rolled her eyes at Meilei behind the other girl's back.  
  
"Yeah. How was life without me?"  
  
"Dull. My brothers have no lives." Bailey complained, as the three girls entered the school. She seemed unfazed about the fact that Meilei was hanging around with them, now.  
  
"I'm sorry, I know how you feel." Meilei commented, as she opened her locker, which was just a few down from Hilde's.  
  
"Me too. Brother's are such pains." Hilde commented, silently apologizing to Yuki as she said this. Meilei seemed to understand her predicament, because she quickly changed the subject and they were soon immersed in a huge talk about...what else? Boys.  
  
"Well, I hate to say it, but your brother Isaac is kind of cute." Meilei stated, blushing. Bailey wrinkled her nose.  
  
"YUCK! Now, that Dean Paterson kid is hot!" She exclaimed. Hilde rolled her eyes and guessed what was coming next.  
  
"Who is your crush of the week, Di?" Bailey asked eagerly.  
  
"Hmmm...no one at the moment."  
  
"Then you can have my brother!" Meilei giggled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Hilde's cheeks reddened and she shook her head, unable to say anything.  
  
"Who can have me?" Came Kojii's voice. Meilei gave a laugh.  
  
"Oh, we were talking about our crushes of the week, and when Hil...Heidi told me that she didn't have anyone, I offered you." Meilei stated in a triumphant voice. Kojii turned a dark red and he refused to look at Hilde.  
  
"You're a cruel person, Meilei Li." He hissed. She laughed in delight.  
  
"I know."  
  
"So, who was your crush?" Isaac asked innocently. Meilei turned bright red and mumbled something about 'not telling you'. Hilde nearly laughed when she saw Isaac's face drop and his eyes loose their hopeful glint.  
  
"Come on, Heidi." Bailey said quickly, wanting to leave before all their secrets were spilled out. Hilde watched the two girls make a quick get- away, and then she slyly leaned over towards Isaac.  
  
"Meilei said something about liking a guy who's name started with 'I', and ended with '-saac', so you'd better go find him and beat him up, before he gets to her first!" She teased. Isaac's face turned bright crimson and Hilde made a quick get-away as well, her eyes twinkling with laughter.  
  
"You're a cruel woman, Heidi Hiiragizawa." Hiro murmured, when he was sure none of his friends could hear him. But one did. Kojii shot him a searching look and then turned away, thinking about what had just happened.  
  
His little sister liked one of his best friends. What were the chances of that?  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I can't believe it! Spring Term is so close to being here, I can almost taste it!" Bailey cried, her eyes sparkling. It had been just over two months since Hilde and Heidi had switched places. Hilde sighed as she heard these words, and tried to keep her heart from sinking. Beside her, Meilei patted her arm comfortingly.  
  
When she had first come here, Hilde would wish for nothing more than to be back with her family again. But now that things had finally sifted into place, Hilde was dreading the thought of leaving.  
  
"Yeah, another break with my family worrying over me." Hilde stated dryly, not in the mood to act like Heidi. Bailey giggled.  
  
"And after Spring term...no more Kojii and co. to deal with!" Meilei squealed, just as her brother and his friends passed by them in the hall. Kojii shot her a dark look.  
  
"Yeah, I'm off to China." He muttered. Hilde noted a bitter undertone in his voice.  
  
"Aren't you excited? You have a chance to make a bit difference in everyone's lives there." She commented. Kojii's cheeks turned red.  
  
*KOJII'S POV.*  
  
'All right. I'm blushing just great! I just hope she doesn't see!'  
  
"Yeah. I guess." I murmured, as Heidi fell into step beside me. Ever since our truce began, she has gotten a lot more decent towards me. And not just that...she seems a lot more patient, not to mention nicer, prettier, sexier...  
  
'UGH! MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER, LI!' I shouted mentally. Suddenly, I felt a soft hand on my arm, and I turned to see deep amethyst eyes gazing up into mine.  
  
"Are you all right, Kojii?" Heidi asked softly. I couldn't help but notice that there was something different about her. Something in her eyes and the way they spoke what was in her soul. They seemed to almost pull me in, drowning me in their depths...  
  
"Kojii?" Her voice was soft, and I shook myself and smiled.  
  
"Yeah, fine. Why?"  
  
"Because everyone else just went to lunch. They left you behind." She murmured. Heat rushed to my face again.  
  
"Why didn't you go, too?"  
  
"I didn't want you to wake up from your day-dream, and think that we had abandoned you!" She laughed. Her laugh was different too. Musical and sweet, almost like that song she had sung the day she got sick...  
  
"So, are we going to go?" Heidi asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief. I tried to smirk, but failed miserably, as my heart nearly pounded out of my chest.  
  
"Sure." I muttered, still gazing down into her eyes. Suddenly, her's flashed with something I could only interpret as fear, and she moved away, her face quickly returning to its normal carelessness.  
  
"Come on, Li." She laughed, walking away from me. Again, I couldn't help but notice the way her hips shook slightly as she walked, and how that lavender knitted dress she was wearing hugged her womanly curves so perfectly...  
  
'LI, YOU NEED HELP!' My mind shouted. I groaned as I realized just what I was thinking, and who I was thinking about.  
  
Could I possibly care for my enemy-turned-temporary ally?  
  
'Yup, you do.'  
  
This time, it was my heart talking to me. With a groan of torment, I quickly followed the being that had been so long my enigma, and who was now the object of my secret admiration.  
  
'Note to self. See that psychiatrist that grandma suggested I visit...'  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	7. And it all goes down the drain

JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 6.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I PASSED?!?! I passed Music?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"ALL RIGHT! I PASSED MUSIC! I LOVE YOU, SIS!" Heidi shrieked in joy. Hilde held the cell-phone away from her ear while Meilei giggled beside her. They were in Meilei's room, getting ready to leave somewhere.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Well, I've got to go! Lots to do. By the way...what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Heidi asked.  
  
"I'm going to the amusement park with Meilei and her family."  
  
"UGH! I can't believe that you're getting chummy with Li! It will ruin my image!" Heidi groaned. Meilei, who overheard, giggled.  
  
"Goodbye Heidi." Hilde said, quickly hanging up the phone. Meilei couldn't stop laughing.  
  
"Actually, it's doing her good. Too bad I have to break off the truce next week." Hilde sighed, her eyes sad. Meilei winced.  
  
"Hilde, this is bad. You know that." She murmured. Hilde collapsed into a chair and buried her head in her hands.  
  
"I *do* know. But I promised Heidi."  
  
"You're going to hurt him."  
  
"I don't want to...wait! Who are we talking about?" Hilde asked nervously. Meilei smiled.  
  
"Kojii."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Hilde, you like him, I know it." Meilei started. Red rose to Hilde's cheeks.  
  
"I don't..."  
  
"You do. And he likes you, too."  
  
"We're just friends."  
  
"Exactly! Which is more than he and Heidi were! And when she comes back, it's going to hurt him...and you." Meilei sighed. Hilde shivered.  
  
"I don't want to...Meilei, promise me. After this all blows over, will you tell him? He deserves to know." Hilde pleaded. Meilei smiled.  
  
"I will. Now come on! We have a fun day ahead of us, and I don't want to waste it here!" She giggled, dragging Hilde off of the chair and out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I want to ride the Ferris Wheel!" Meilei cried, her emerald eyes sparkling. Her father chuckled.  
  
"Like mother like daughter." He joked.  
  
"Come on, Hiiragizawa. I want to see how brave you really are." Kojii challenged, pulling her away from the others. Hilde looked at him, alarmed.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We're going on the roller-coaster!"  
  
"Oh. I've never been on one." She murmured. Kojii stopped and stared at her, aghast.  
  
"What?! Where have you been?" He choked, dragging her off through the crowds, towards a the huge ride. Hilde watched nervously as several people stepped off the ride, looking sick.  
  
"They're just weak-stomached." Kojii whispered as he saw her eyeing them. She smiled trustingly at him as he helped her into the vinyl seat and pulled the metal bar down over their laps.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"I think so." She whispered.  
  
After a few moments, the ride began and Hilde was lost in a jumble of dizzying dips, sharp curves, sickening spins and upside-down perspectives.  
  
"So. Did you enjoy it?" Kojii asked as they both stumbled off the ride, un- steadily. Hilde grinned.  
  
"Can we do it again?" To this, Kojii laughed and nodded his approval. After two more times, they finally agreed to find Meilei.  
  
"So, how is it possible that you have never ridden on a roller-coaster?"  
  
"I don't know. No real opportunity." Hilde murmured. Kojii stopped and leaned against a decorative lamp-post that stood in the road, simply looking at her.  
  
"What?" She asked in confusion. His intense amber eyes bored into her sweet amethyst ones.  
  
"How long is this going to last? This truce?" He asked. Hilde sighed.  
  
"Truthfully?"  
  
"Truthfully."  
  
"About two more weeks. I go home for Spring Break, and it's all over. I'm back to my old self." She informed him, eyes downcast.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Let's just say, I made a deal with a friend."  
  
"Oh." Kojii somehow looked...upset, by this answer.  
  
"So...no more nice-to-Kojii moments? And I suppose you're going to dump my sister, too?" He asked, none too kindly. Tears welled in Hilde's eyes.  
  
"I don't know, Kojii. I really don't know." She whispered.  
  
"What's wrong with you, Hiiragizawa? Why are you doing this to us...to everyone?" He asked sharply. Hilde bit her lower lip to keep it from shaking.  
  
"I..."  
  
"There you are! C'mon, Heidi! You're coming with me on the Ferris Wheel!" Meilei cried, running up to them and grasping Hilde's arm. Kojii's glare clearly told Hilde that this was not over, and she winced.  
  
"Ok, Meilei...and thank you." She whispered. Meilei smiled and quickly lead her away.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Two weeks dwindled to one week, and then finally, one day.  
  
Hilde sighed as she gazed around the room that her sister would be re- inhabiting in just over a week's time. Hilde had just finished packing a suitcase-full of her new clothes, because Heidi had refused to wear them.  
  
*RING!*  
  
"Hello?" Hilde asked, picking up her phone.  
  
"ONE MORE DAY!" Came Heidi's shriek. Hilde winced and nodded silently.  
  
"Aren't you excited?!"  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"Oh, come on, Shy-by! No more lies, no more acting, I can be me!" Heidi exclaimed. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I can stop talking so much."  
  
"Ugh. Silent-One. Anyway...I can run again! I don't have to sing!"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh, great. Starting already? Come on, Hill! Relax a little."  
  
"Easy for you to say. I still have to officially break off the truce with Kojii, say goodbye to Meilei, and think up a good excuse for your rather long attitude change." Hilde groaned, sinking down onto the bed.  
  
"Easy. Just use the same excuse you used with Li-kun. Tell them the deal's over. Tell everyone if you have to." Heidi commanded.  
  
"Again, easy for you to say."  
  
"Well, if someone had kept up the act and left no suspicions..."  
  
"I'm not you, Heidi!"  
  
"And I'm not you, but I managed!"  
  
"Well, I guess lying is easier for you than it is for me." With this, Hilde slammed down the phone, tears trickling down her pale cheeks.  
  
"How can she be so calm about this?" She whispered, wiping the tears away angrily.  
  
"What, dear?" Her grandmother asked, coming into the room. Hilde shot her a small smile.  
  
"Nothing. What's that?" She asked, looking at the box in her grandmother's hands.  
  
"Oh, just a gift. Open it!"  
  
Hilde did as she was told and gasped as a lovely light blue traveling suit was revealed. The fabric was laced with lines of lavender and green, giving it a lovely touch of brighter color.  
  
"Oh, It's lovely, gram! Thank you!" Hilde exclaimed, hugging Sonomi. The older woman laughed.  
  
"You're welcome. But you had better finish packing." Sonomi stated, walking towards the door. Hilde watched after her with a smile.  
  
*RING!*  
  
"Hello?" Hilde asked, picking up her cell-phone once more.  
  
"Heidi? It's..."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kojii growled as he swung his sword around for the umpteenth time. His mind was full of the girl that had so captured his attention lately.  
  
Had Heidi really meant what she had said? She did this as a deal with a friend? And why did she have to be so nice, that she had lowered his defenses and left him vulnerable to the pain she was now putting him through?  
  
"UGH!" With an angry hiss, he swung his sword around his head and felt the sudden urge to strike it to something...anything! With a growl he grabbed a useless pillow off his couch and threw it into the air, slicing through it with his sword. The two pieces fell harmlessly to the floor, where he proceeded to stab them mercilessly, with no regard to the floor underneath.  
  
"What is she doing to me?" He choked out, stabbing the pillow once more, before collapsing onto his bed. He dropped his sword to the floor, and then his eyes met with a piece of paper on his pillow. On it was a phone number, that he had snuck out of Meilei's phone book; it was Heidi's number, in fact.  
  
He slowly picked up the paper and gazed at it, the numbers swirling together and forming the sweet face of the girl in question. There was no doubt in his mind, now. He had to end this, as soon as possible.  
  
With a resolve stronger than steel, he reached for his own phone and dialed the number. It only rang once, then someone answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Kojii's breath caught as Heidi's sweet voice rolled over the line.  
  
"Heidi? It's...Kojii. I need to talk with you, please." He managed, running a nervous hand through his messy chestnut locks. There was a slight pause on the other end, as if she had been expecting this, then:  
  
"When?"  
  
"Fifteen minutes? At Penguin park, in the cherry-tree grove?" He suggested. There was another pause.  
  
"All right. I'll be there."  
  
"See you." Kojii muttered.  
  
"Goodbye." She answered, hanging up. Kojii quickly grabbed his olive-green muscle-T and slipped it on, hurrying out of his room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
By the time Hilde reached the park, Kojii was already there, leaning against a tall cherry tree, and gazing off into the distance, his chestnut locks swaying lightly in the breeze. She slowly walked over to him.  
  
"Hello." She said. His head turned and his amber eyes met hers.  
  
"Hello." Was all he said, his eyes still boring into hers. She shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"You needed to talk with me?" She asked softly, looking away. Kojii nodded, still unsure of exactly why he had just done this.  
  
"What are you doing, Hiiragizawa?" He finally asked. Hilde looked at him in confusion.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Coming into people's lives and screwing them up. Why do you do it?"  
  
"I don't mean to." She whispered, her tears returning. Kojii sighed.  
  
"My sister really likes you, Heidi. And it would hurt her that you suddenly up and change, leaving her like a piece of year-old cheese." He stated. Hilde nodded, but said nothing.  
  
"I mean, I can't expect you to treat me better, but at least spare my sister the hurt." He muttered. Hilde started.  
  
"Hurt?"  
  
"Yes, Heidi! *The Hurt*. It hurts people when you're nice one moment, and then the next you treat them like scum! I mean, I've had to deal with you hating me for no reason all my life, and suddenly you come with this whole new attitude of 'let's be nice to everyone'! And now, you're telling me that you are going back to the old way. What are you playing at, Hiiragizawa?"  
  
"I...I didn't mean to hurt anyone..." She whimpered. His eyes, once steely, were now filled with pain.  
  
"Well you did. You hurt me." He stated. Hilde looked at him in horror.  
  
"You?"  
  
"Yes, me! I have feelings, you know." He snapped, his eyes still hurt. Hilde choked on a lump of bile that rose to her throat and her body shook with sorrow. After all she had done, this was the outcome! She was the cause of his torment! It was her fault!  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She whispered, a tear falling from her eye. Kojii's heart melted and his face softened.  
  
"Heidi...Heidi, don't cry. Please." He couldn't think of anything else to say. Sure, his sister had cried to him plenty of times...but that was his sister. This was the girl who had left him in a muddle of emotions the past few months.  
  
"But it's my fault. I'm so, so sorry." She whimpered with her head down, as she clutched her fists to her sides. Kojii bit his lip and moved forward, placing a hand on her arm. With his other hand, he lifted her chin and wiped the tears away with his thumb.  
  
"No...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." He murmured. Hilde trembled at how close he was but couldn't move away. He stepped closer. Their eyes met and held each other, this time, relaying hidden messages back and forth that neither one could decipher.  
  
"Heidi...I..." Kojii stopped as his body uncontrollably moved closer to hers. His eyes centered on her raspberry-colored lips and couldn't tear themselves away. With slow, deliberate movements, his face moved closer until they were just millimeters away from each other. Her lips parted, she uttered a soft sigh, and with that, Kojii lost control.  
  
His lips captured hers in a deep, passionate embrace that caused her already muddled mind to spin even more. Her knees turned to jelly and she clung to his shirt-front to keep her balance. His hands found her waist and pulled her closer.  
  
Then realization hit Hilde in the stomach like a fist. This was her sister's enemy! Heidi hated him, and when she returned, she would treat him as vilely as ever, maybe more so! And if he thought that she liked him...  
  
With a cry, Hilde broke away, pushing herself back against the tree, a her fingers pressed to her swollen lips.  
  
"No! No!" She moaned, her eyes wide and frightened. Kojii stared at her, his eyes flashing with hurt, anger, and confusion.  
  
"This is wrong. Kojii, we can't." She stumbled over her words, searching desperately for some good excuse. Kojii's eyes hardened and his body stiffened.  
  
"Fine. That's just fine. This never happened, Hiiragizawa." He hissed, brushing past her, then stopping abruptly as a small choked sob met his ears. Tears spilled down Hilde's cheeks, and her mouth quivered. She wanted to call him back so badly, to tell him the truth...but she had promised Heidi! She had promised!  
  
"Avoid me, Li. Avoid me for the rest of the school year." She commanded. Kojii turned, his eyes full of stony resolve.  
  
"Why? Why should I? Why shouldn't I take you right here and kiss you again? Why?" He asked harshly. Hilde trembled.  
  
"Please, Kojii! Please!" She pleaded. Kojii gave her a disgusted look, then quickly walked back over to her.  
  
"I'll do it, but if you're going to continue shoving me down like this, I'm taking you down with me!" He hissed, capturing her waist and crushing his lips to hers. Hilde whimpered and pressed back, knowing that this would be the last time she would ever see him. Hot passion poured from both of them, and his hands roughly trailed the length of her back. Again, she managed to get up enough strength to push him away.  
  
"Go, Li! I never want to see you again!" She sobbed, turning and running from the grove.  
  
Kojii watched after her, his heart breaking.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	8. Sorrow goes the distance

Daphne:  
  
I would just like to thank all the readers who reviewed the last chapter. You see, my beloved dog, Blitzen, whom I have had since I was four, died Wednesday morning (she was very sick), and it has been a really hard time for me. Reading all the reviews to this story made me feel a lot better, and some even made me laugh, which is something I have not felt like doing for a while.  
  
So thank you, for bringing that little ray of sunshine back into my life! I really appreciate it, and I hope that you will keep reviewing! It makes me feel a whole lot more happy!  
  
All right, enough with the sentimental stuff. On to the fic!!!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 7.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hilde!"  
  
Hilde, who had just gotten off her plane, looked around in horror. For there, in the airport waiting-area, stood Tomoyo Hiiragizawa, smiling mildly at her daughter.  
  
"Mom...how did you know?" She managed to gasp, as her mother slid her arm around her waist and began to lead her out of the airport. Tomoyo laughed.  
  
"Hill, I'm your mother. I know these things. You're just lucky your father was too busy to notice the change in his daughter!" She stated. Hilde winced.  
  
"And I suppose everyone knows?" She asked timidly. Tomoyo smiled as they climbed into the limo.  
  
"Only Milly, Yuki, Akane, and myself. Oh, and Philipe knows...but only because he caught Heidi eating during one of her 'bad-acting' moments, and realized that you would never stuff your face like that!" Tomoyo laughed. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I'm never doing this again." She murmured, her smile turning bitter. Tomoyo looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Darling, what happened?" She asked tenderly, pulling her daughter into a hug. Hilde rested her head on her mother's shoulder.  
  
"I got my first kiss." Hilde said listlessly. Tomoyo looked at her daughter in the utmost astonishment. Sure, she expected that sort of phrase out of Heidi one of these days...but not the quiet, anti-social Hilde.  
  
"Oh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Hilde giggled bitterly, tears filling her eyes.  
  
"From...Kojii Li." She finally admitted. Now, Tomoyo nearly fell over in shock.  
  
"Hilde...oh, honey! What will Heidi say?" She gasped. She had known that Hilde had gotten close to Meilei (Sakura had told her), but Kojii?  
  
"I don't know. But mama...it hurts so bad. I tried not to hurt anyone...especially him, but I ended up getting hurt, instead." Hilde's voice was full of sorrow, but her words came out sounding like bitter laughter.  
  
"And now, he hates me." She whimpered. Tomoyo pulled her closer and stroked her daughter's long hair.  
  
"I thought that you didn't like Kojii. Why are you so upset, then?"  
  
"Mum, he kissed me."  
  
"And then?"  
  
"I..." Hilde sighed and began to tell her the whole story, from the start of the switch to the end, her confrontation with Kojii.  
  
"So you like him...as more than a friend." Tomoyo murmured. Hilde nodded, her lips still tingling from the memory of that not-so-long-ago kiss.  
  
"He likes you, too. He never would have kissed you if he didn't."  
  
"I don't think so. He probably did it as a last ditch attempt to keep me from dropping his sister. No matter what he says, Kojii loves Meilei a lot." Hilde murmured.  
  
"But Meilei knows the truth. And you asked her to tell him, right?"  
  
"I asked her to tell him when *she* thought it was the right time. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be." Hilde stated, watching as they pulled into the drive leading to their home. Tomoyo smiled.  
  
"Well, enough about this for now. Right now, you have some settling in to do!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing to where Philipe and Yuki stood, waiting by the front doors. Hilde smiled as her brother opened the car-door himself, and stuck his head into the car.  
  
"You owe me a lot, missy! Leaving me with that zit-head! And I had to be nice to her so dad wouldn't suspect! You owe me big!" He stated, as he helped her out of the car. Hilde smiled and hugged her brother tearfully.  
  
"I missed you so much." She whispered to him. Yuki smiled bashfully and hugged her tightly in return.  
  
"Me too. It's good to have you home, Hill." He murmured, sliding his arm around her waist while her mother did the same on her other side. Together, the three walked into the house, chatting happily.  
  
'I'm home.' Hilde thought, as the door shut behind them.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So...did you tell Heidi about...you know...him kissing you?" Akane asked a week later, after Heidi herself had left to return to Japan. Hilde sighed and shook her head.  
  
"I couldn't. Can you imagine how angry she would be with me?" Hilde gasped, collapsing onto her bed. Akane smiled and sat next to her. Akane was over for a sleep-over, and the two girls were spending some quality time bonding after Hilde's long absence.  
  
"Yeah. Can you imagine her face if he was to..."  
  
*RING!*  
  
"I'm popular lately." Hilde sighed, reaching for her cell-phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hilde! I'm so glad I managed to get you!" Came Meilei's voice. Hilde frowned as she noted how anxious her friend's voice was.  
  
"What is the matter, Mei?" She asked, as Akane leaned over to listen to the conversation.  
  
"It's Kojii. He's gone completely crazy!"  
  
"What? What on earth do you mean?" Hilde gasped. Meilei sighed.  
  
"The past few days he's been acting completely peevish, and just last night, I woke up to something crashing. I didn't get up to see what it was, but this morning, when I went into his room to use his computer...oh, it was awful!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I swear he's stabbed every pillow he owns with that sword of his, and every poster in his room is torn to pieces! And I found one of his lamps, the one that used to sit on his desk, smashed to bits and thrown into his waste-basket! I think that's the crashing sound I heard last night."  
  
"You mean he broke it deliberately?" Akane gasped, turning so her words could be heard.  
  
"Considering the pieces look clean-cut and not bumpy as most would if the lamp had simply fallen...yes, he probably took his sword to that too. And instead of practicing his sword in his room, he's taken to going out into the gardens at night, and practicing there. We hardly ever see him anymore!" Meilei exclaimed. Hilde turned pale as she listened to this tale, and her stomach twisted.  
  
"And Heidi?"  
  
"She bad-mouthed him in the hall yesterday, and Kojii just walked away. But when I talked to Isaac this morning, he told me that Kojii went behind the school right after that, and went ballistic, growling and hitting the side of the school for no reason." Meilei continued. Hilde's stomach churned and she dropped the phone, quickly rushing for the bathroom. Akane stared after her in shock, and Meilei could be heard, yelling for someone to answer.  
  
"Sorry, Mei. I think she just got sick." Akane stated in a shaky voice, as she took up the phone. Meilei gasped.  
  
"Akane, what's wrong?"  
  
"Kojii kissed her the day before she left."  
  
"WHAT?!?! YOU'RE KIDDING!" Meilei shrieked. Akane sadly shook her head.  
  
"No. That's the problem. She had to blow him off completely, to keep him from trying to talk to Heidi when she returned. Hilde won't tell me everything, but from what I can tell, some pretty harsh words were exchanged."  
  
"Oh, Akane. This has turned into a total...hell." Meilei moaned. Akane sighed.  
  
"I know."  
  
"And to top it off, Hiro was flirting with Heidi yesterday. Kojii must have seen because now he's mad a Hiro. But...Hiro's always liked Heidi, even before the truce." Meilei admitted. Akane sighed as Hilde walked back into the room, looking quite pale and even a bit green.  
  
"This is bad. But Hilde's back now, and I'll let her talk to you." Akane murmured. Hilde shot her a thankful look and then took the phone.  
  
"Feeling better?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Hiro and Heidi are flirting. I think that...they will be getting together, soon." Meilei stated hesitantly. Hilde knew what she was hinting about, and her stomach churned again.  
  
"Please...let's talk about something else!" She begged. Meilei quickly obliged. The girl's talked for several more minutes, before they finally had to get off because Tomoyo kept yelling up to them that she had dinner on the table.  
  
"Hilde, will you be all right?" Akane asked hesitantly, as she got ready to go to bed later that night. Hilde nodded.  
  
"I'm fine, 'Kane. Don't worry."  
  
"But I do." Akane whispered as Hilde turned out the lights.  
  
Hilde climbed into bed, and waited until she was sure that Akane had fallen to sleep, before breaking into silent sobs that racked her whole delicate body. Her tear-filled amethyst eyes found her huge, open windows and gazed out, staring at the moon.  
  
'I wonder if Kojii has seen the moon tonight.' She thought sadly, unable to hide her feelings for him anymore...at least from herself.  
  
Across the continent, a young man with dark chestnut locks and cold amber eyes stared at the moon, thinking relatively the same thing as Hilde.  
  
That night, two people slept, content with the attraction that was quickly growing between them.  
  
Two people fell asleep full of worry for their friend.  
  
And two people went to bed that night with broken hearts that would take years to heal.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	9. Five Years Later in a place called Hong ...

JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 8.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*FIVE YEARS LATER*  
  
"Hilde! Time to wake up!" A cheerful voice called out. Curtains were flung open to reveal a bright, sunny day, and amethyst eyes were forced to close at the brightness that filled the room.  
  
"Good morning!" Akane called, her voice eager and happy. Hilde couldn't help but smile.  
  
Over the past five years, many things had changed. Hilde and Akane had entered college right after High-school had ended. Being interested in teaching, Hilde had taken up tutoring children while taking her college classes at the same time. The children seemed to love having a young, understanding teacher to help them with their difficult schoolwork, and Hilde loved to help.  
  
But a month back, both Akane and Hilde had signed up for an exchange program that would allow the girl's to go to another country for a term, and study there. The girls had been ecstatic when they were told they would be studying in Hong Kong, at the same college that Meilei Li went to presently.  
  
"Good morning." Hilde murmured, climbing out of her bed and stretching like a cat. Akane smiled.  
  
"Has Heidi called you yet?" She asked Hilde shook her head.  
  
The past few years had been different for Heidi as well. She had allowed her hair to grow out the least bit, and had taken several vigorous Physical Ed. classes in college. She and Bailey had decided to go to college in England, where Bailey had finally become aquatinted with the scheme the twins had cooked up all those years ago.  
  
Hilde was now majoring in sports training, and was the assistant trainer of an all-girls sports league in London.  
  
"Well, she promised to call. I wonder what's taking her!" Akane sighed. Hilde smiled and looked around her new room.  
  
"She's probably either still asleep, talking with Bailey, or calling Hiro." She laughed. Over the years, Hiro and Heidi had become even closer, and Hilde had it on good authority (Bailey's brothers), that Hiro was planning on proposing the next time Heidi returned to Japan.  
  
"I'd guess the third one!" Akane giggled, slipping on her outfit and quickly going through her bookbag. They were scheduled to meet Meilei at a tiny café on the college campus in fifteen minutes. They were going to have a small breakfast, and then Mei had promised to take them on a tour of the campus itself.  
  
"Hurry! Meilei's going to be impatient!" Akane called. It was her first time actually meeting the girl, and Hilde's first time seeing her in so long.  
  
"No she won't be. Meilei takes after her mother and her mother is the sweetest lady that I know. She didn't even flinch when mama told her what Heidi and I had done." Hilde commented, wincing as she mentioned the subject. Akane knew not to press the subject, and quickly distracted her friend by pulling her out the front door.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"HILDE!!!" Meilei shrieked, throwing herself into her friend's arms. Hilde laughed and held her close.  
  
"Oh, I missed you so much! It just wasn't the same, talking on the phone like that!" Meilei sighed.  
  
"I know. Oh, Meilei, this is Akane. Akane, this is Meilei Li." Hilde stated. The two girls summed each other up, and then grinned.  
  
"Nice to meet you!" They chimed at the same time, shaking each other's hands. They all had a good laugh at this, and then Meilei sat them down and helped them decide what to choose for breakfast.  
  
"So...how have you been?" Meilei asked, taking a sip of her tea. Hilde smiled.  
  
"Just about the same as ever." She murmured. She didn't see Akane shaking her head slightly at Mei.  
  
'She's not.' Akane mouthed. Meilei nodded in understanding.  
  
"How is Heidi?" Meilei asked, wisely changing the subject. Hilde grinned.  
  
"She's well. She's teaching a class of ten year-old girls presently, and loving every moment of it." Hilde announced. Meilei smirked.  
  
"And I thought you were the kid-loving twin!" She laughed. Hilde giggled.  
  
"I am. But Hilde's calmed down a bit the past few years, and has even become a little closer to Yuki as well."  
  
"How is Yuki?"  
  
"He's fine, too. You remember me mentioning Seamus's little sister, Mirah, don't you?" Hilde asked. Mei nodded. Akane grinned widely and winked.  
  
"They're dating now. Man, Uncle Touya was so mad, I though he would blow a gasket when he found out his 'little girl' was dating an older guy!"  
  
"But Uncle Touya knows Yuki..."  
  
"Yes, but he's not so sure about the whole 'loving your second cousin' thing (courtesy of Uncle Eriol and aunt Nakuru, who are cousins)." Akane giggled. Mei gasped and started to giggle as well.  
  
"But Yuki and Mirah are so in love, he didn't object long. In fact, now *he's* the one hoping for a wedding!" Hilde laughed. The girls fell into fits of giggles again, and it took them a while to calm down.  
  
"So...when are you going to move into my dorm?" Meilei asked eagerly. Hilde and Akane exchanged shrugs.  
  
"We were planning on tomorrow...but we could today, if you wouldn't mind."  
  
"Mind?! Hilde, if you don't move in tonight, I am not going to consider you as my friend anymore!" Mei shrieked, hugging her. Hilde laughed happily and the girls went back to eating and chatting away.  
  
None of them noticed the long black limo slinking by, nor the absolutely stunned face looking out the tinted glass window near the back.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"You will make a fine leader, after your father, Li-sama."  
  
"Just don't allow your feelings to come between you and your duties."  
  
"We do not need another repeat of the absolute disobedience of your father."  
  
"I will think over what you have said, Honored Elders." A hard voice answered. A tall figure stood up from the center of the dim room and bowed respectfully at the men seated around three edges of the room. They all nodded their heads to him, and he turned to leave.  
  
Kojii Li blinked as the light of the bright morning sun hit his eyes. He shielded them with one of his famous glares, and continued to walk away from the building, back towards the place he called home.  
  
At twenty-three, Kojii now stood at a total height of six-foot-seven, two inches taller than his father. Because of the vigorous training that he had received when he first came back, he was quite muscular as well. His chestnut brown hair was as messy as ever, a stubborn lock falling into his cold amber eyes from time to time. His eyes, which had previously been filled with life and mischief, now seemed dead and cold, like an icy tree in winter.  
  
"Good morning, Kojii." A young woman bowed as he passed her. He didn't seem to acknowledge her presence, and walked on. The young woman's dark brown eyes followed him greedily, and a strand of long brown hair blew into her face.  
  
"Kojii? Are you all right?" The girl asked, running up behind him. A low growl erupted in his throat.  
  
"Yes, Shayla, I am fine." His voice was deeper than it had been in his high- school days, but much colder. The young woman, Shayla, smiled and linked her arm through his.  
  
"Darling, you really must start talking with me more. After all, we are engaged!" Shayla exclaimed. Kojii's eyes grew, if possible, colder.  
  
"I have only agreed because it is my duty to my country."  
  
"Yes, but surely there is another reason." She whispered seductively, running her eyes up and down his body. Kojii growled and pulled away.  
  
"Leave me. I have more important things to do than listen to you talk about how I should love you and all that bull-sh*t." He hissed, stalking away from her. He soon found himself at the front of the Li mansion, and got into the limo that waited there.  
  
"To the capital building." He commanded. The driver nodded and the car began it's journey. Kojii sighed as he saw his annoying fiancee waving to him from an upper window of his house.  
  
He had agreed to this engagement only because the elders had insisted it was best. Since he had no wish to go against their judgment, he had consented, though he knew it would make him miserable.  
  
'But am I not already miserable?' He thought bitterly to himself as he watched the buildings flash by. The memory of soft lips touching his, and small hands clutching to his shirt suddenly overcame him, and he had to resist the urge to groan. Even now...five years later...it was impossible to erase the feelings for her that he had had.  
  
But that had been a different Heidi. A kind, loving Heidi. One that would have never thought of running into his best friend's arms, only days after he had kissed her. No, his Heidi would have felt guilt...perhaps even asked for forgiveness...and he would have willingly given it to her with open arms. But no. She had changed once more, was practically engaged to Hiro, and had unknowingly broken his heart.  
  
But he still loved her. After all that, he still loved the memory of *his* Heidi. Not the one that now belonged to Hiro, but the one he had kissed and loved so much. *HIS* Heidi.  
  
With an un-suppressed moan, he gazed out the window, desperately trying to find something that would take his mind off the girl who's memory had so haunted him these last five years. But no luck.  
  
With a jolt of alarm and shock, he sat up, his eyes glued to something outside the car.  
  
"It's impossible!" Kojii stammered, his eyes widening with shock as he gazed out the window.  
  
For there, at a tiny street-corner café, sat his sister. And beside her, laughing happily, was...  
  
Heidi Hiiragizawa.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*RING!*  
  
*RING!*  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Meilei cried, as she raced out of her bathroom, an hour after her meeting with Hilde and Akane. She quickly patted her wet hair, which she had just finished washing, and opened to door.  
  
"Kojii!" She exclaimed, happily hugging her brother. Kojii, however, stiffened at the contact and turned his cold eyes on her.  
  
"May I come in?"  
  
"Of course! What's the matter?" Meilei asked, as she led him into the dorm living room. Kojii sat on a high-backed chair and frowned.  
  
"Where were you this morning?" He asked sharply. Mei smiled.  
  
"At a café with some friends."  
  
"I saw you there. And why, pray-tell, was Hiiragizawa-san there with you? Isn't she supposed to be in England, studying?" He hissed. Meilei smirked at her ruffled brother.  
  
"Oh, that wasn't, Heidi, brother. And I'm so glad you actually listen when I talk about the going-on's of my friends!" She said teasingly. Kojii hissed.  
  
"If it wasn't her, then who was it?" He snapped. Mei's face became serious, and she winced.  
  
"Kojii, wait here. I think it is time that I kept a promise I made years ago." She murmured, quickly leaving the room and coming back with a framed picture in her hands.  
  
"Kojii, look at this picture carefully. What do you see?" She asked, setting the picture in his lap. He glared at her and then studied the picture.  
  
"Hiiragizawa, her brother, her parents and...HOLY SH*T! THERE'S TWO OF HER!" He shouted, bounding to his feet. Mei giggled.  
  
"Yes, brother. Heidi has a twin. Hilde, Heidi's twin, is the one you saw this morning. She's also the one who made the truce with you all those years ago." Meilei stated, her eyes lowered. Kojii collapsed onto the chair in shock.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Mei sighed and began her story of how Heidi had begged Hilde to imposture her, and told him the tale, all the way through to the end. But by the end, Kojii was looking stony again and his eyes had grown colder than ever. Mei saw this and sighed once again.  
  
"Kojii, don't you see? Hilde asked me to tell you when the right time came. She truly didn't want to hurt you, and it nearly killed her to do so."  
  
"Then why didn't she tell me?" He snapped. Mei glared.  
  
"She promised her sister! And besides that, she knew you would be mad at her, and she couldn't stand that. Hilde's the kind of person who hates to have people mad at her, and does everything she can to ease their pain. In your case, she pushed you away, even though it nearly *killed* her to do it, so you wouldn't get hurt by Heidi." Mei spat. Kojii looked at her in shock, and opened his mouth to argue.  
  
"Don't you dare! You know you would have gotten mad, admit it. Then you would have said hateful things to her that would have made her cry and...oh, Kojii! It would have hurt you even worse, too. I know what happened between you, because Akane, Hilde's friend, told me. You loved her then. You love her now, don't you?" Meilei asked. Kojii growled and stood up.  
  
"I have to go." He snapped, walking to the door. Mei got up as well, and watched him leave.  
  
"You can't run away from this forever, Kojii." She informed him dryly. Kojii's back stiffened even more than before.  
  
"But I can try." He muttered, slamming the door behind him without a backward glance. Mei simply smirked.  
  
"No you can't."  
  
You see, Hilde had taken a job in Hong Kong, tutoring a group of five young children.  
  
Those five children happened to be the sons and daughters of Kojii's and Meilei's aunts, the famous Li sisters...and they lived at the Li home.  
  
The same Li home that Kojii called 'his' home.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hill, there's something you need to know." Meilei whispered that night, after Akane had gone to bed. The two girls were sitting out on the huge white deck, drinking hot-cocoa and talking about the past few years.  
  
"What?" Hilde asked softly. From Meilei's expression, it couldn't be good.  
  
"You know that the leader of Hong Kong has a lot of responsibility. And with that comes the instructions of the Elders." Meilei stated. Hilde nodded.  
  
"Well, the Elders believe in...arranged marriages. They tried to arrange a marriage for my father, to Aunt Meiling, but that failed, obviously. And now..."  
  
"I think I understand. They have arranged a marriage for your...brother." Hilde finished for her, choking on the last word. Meilei sighed.  
  
"Yes. I know that he hates the idea, but he has agreed anyway. But his fiancee is...UGH! Hilde, she's a witch! Her name is Shayla Roderick, and her father is some big multi-millionaire. She pushes herself on my brother whenever she can, and she tries to seduce him at every turn. Luckily, she has been thus-far unsuccessful." Meilei announced.  
  
"Why are you telling me this?" Hilde asked, her voice near to a whisper. She was glad it was dark, so Meilei couldn't see the tears trailing down her cheeks.  
  
"When you go there tomorrow, I want you to beware of her. Stay as far away as you possibly can. And if you run into any of the elders, please be careful! They hate anyone who enters the Li grounds without their permission." Meilei warned. Hilde winced.  
  
"Anything else I need to know?"  
  
"One more thing. Um...my cousins are kind of...rowdy..."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Well, they all have different personalities, but they like to...um...*test* their new teachers, to make sure that they are satisfactory. Just watch out for any stray pranks that may be played on you." Meilei informed her, grinning. Hilde paled slightly.  
  
"Thank you so much."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"We finally found a new tutor for the children!" Siefa Tong (Li is her maiden-name), announced. Her mother, Yelan Li, looked up from her meal.  
  
"Oh?" She asked, glancing down the table where several young people sat eating like little angels. But Yelan knew that all of her grandchildren, both school-age and no, were listening carefully.  
  
"Yes! Meilei suggested her." Fanren interrupted, glancing down at her oldest daughter, Deluce. The small black-haired girl shot her a sly smile in return to her mother's warning glance.  
  
"Who is it?" Yelan asked. Her four daughters wore mischievous looks on their faces.  
  
"Her name is...Hilde Hiiragizawa." Fuutie announced. At this, Kojii choked on his food and Shayla, who was eating there that night, turned pale.  
  
"Excuse me?" Kojii asked in a dangerous voice. The last sister, Feimei, nodded eagerly.  
  
"Apparently, she is that darling Eriol Hiiragizawa's, daughter. Isn't it splendid? She is young, has had plenty of experience, and she's pretty on top of it. Meilei showed us her picture." Feimei announced. There were several snorts from down the table.  
  
"We'll just see." Mumbled an older boy. Fuutie shot a deadly look at her oldest son.  
  
"Chang, you will obey this woman. I will not have her running out of the house screaming, like your last teacher!" His mother snapped. The boy frowned and pouted in his chair.  
  
"Mommy! I don't want a teacher." A little girl of about five, piped up.  
  
"Yeah. We wanna play!" A boy of the same age announced. These were Siefa's twins, Akito and Ying-fa. Siefa shot them a glare.  
  
"Well, you *will* have a teacher, and you *will* be polite to her, do I make myself clear?" She asked in a sharp voice. She not only eyed the children, but also Kojii as well. Kojii growled and got up, leaving the room without a look back.  
  
"What's the matter with him?" Fuutie asked. Yelan looked after her grandson, suspiciously.  
  
Was it just her, or had that been a flash of sadness that had crossed his eyes as he left the table?  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	10. Finding a way, making it work

JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 9.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I don't care what mother says. I won't like her." Deluce stated in a snotty tone. Chang glared at her. They were presently in the Li home school room, waiting for their new teacher.  
  
"She'll be just like the others. Mean, uppity and she'll make us stay in this stuffy schoolroom all day." He hissed. Beside him, a younger boy winced slightly. This was seven year-old, Xiao-long, Feimei's son. He was shyer than the rest, and much more reserved.  
  
"Maybe she won't be so bad." He murmured. Little Akito stuck out his tongue and his sister copied him.  
  
"She's gonna be yucky and smelly, like the last one." He stated stoutly. Just as the little boy said this, there were voices heard from outside the door.  
  
"Now, the children are in here. This is were you will teach them, and where they will take their lunches. Have you any questions?"  
  
"No. Thank you." Came a soft, sweet voice. There was a slight 'humph' from the first voice and then the door swung open to reveal a grouchy housekeeper.  
  
"Here are the brats. Good luck." She mumbled, quickly leaving the scene. The disgusted children watched sharply as their new teacher stepped into the room; suffice to say, she was nothing like they had suspected.  
  
This new teacher had long, pretty black hair that was pulled back into a single braid. She was wearing a lavender suit that matched her sparkling amethyst eyes, and she carried no briefcase, unlike the other teachers. Slowly, she entered the room, looking over each and every one of them. Then, a lovely smile played around her lips.  
  
"Hello." She murmured in her soft voice. The children stood, eyeing her suspiciously.  
  
"Konichiwa, Hiiragizawa-sensei." They chorused, slipping into Japanese to confuse her. But at this, the teacher simply smiled again.  
  
"Ohayo. Are you fluent in Japanese?" She asked. No one spoke, until Xiao- long let out an exasperated sigh.  
  
"Yes, sensei, we all are." He admitted, as his cousins glared at him. The woman smiled and then walked over to the desk at the front of the room. The children watched her closely as she pulled out the chair of the desk, made to sit down on it, then suddenly stood up straight again and clasped her hands in front of her.  
  
"Now, I would like to get to know each one of you, one at a time. Therefore, I will ask the oldest…..Chang, I believe, to come up here and tell me about himself. Then the rest of you will follow. And I insist that you sit at my desk as you do so, because I believe it would make us feel more equal in rank." She murmured, motioning to the chair.  
  
The five in question immediately went pale and Chang rose shakily to his feet. The teacher took a seat in the front row, and watched intently as the nervous boy pulled out the chair and looked at it disgustedly. Then, taking a big gulp of air, Chang began to sit.  
  
Suddenly, a sweet, bell-like laugh filled the room.  
  
"Don't! Please, don't sit there, Chang. I don't want you to ruin your clothes!" The teacher laughed, her amethyst eyes sparkling. The five children looked at her in shock.  
  
"YOU KNEW?!?!" Deluce shrieked, getting to her feet in a rage. The teacher stood, and placed a calming hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Knew what? That you had painted the seat of the chair and it was still wet? Yes, I knew." She murmured, not seeming in the least angry. The children looked at her in confusion.  
  
"But…..how did you know?" Akito stammered. The woman smiled.  
  
"Three ways. 1) I smelled the paint. 2) You were all watching me a little too closely. 3) With a sister and a brother like mine, I've seen plenty of these sorts of tricks pulled every day." The teacher laughed. Deluce looked at her, still a bit suspicious.  
  
"You have a brother and a sister?"  
  
"Yes. A *twin* sister, actually. Her name is Heidi." The teacher informed them. Chang looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"What's your name? How old are you? Do you smell bad? Do you like bugs?" He shot at her as quickly as he could. She grinned.  
  
"My name is Hilde. I am twenty one. I don't know, and some types." She answered. Xiao-long smirked.  
  
"So there, smarty-pants." He muttered to his older cousin. The teacher laughed again.  
  
"Please. I know that you hate me, and I don't blame you. I know from experience that teachers are never fun…..unless they know how to have fun themselves." She murmured. The children looked at her in confusion and she sighed.  
  
"All right. We'll start over. Hello. My name is Hilde Hiiragizawa and I'll be your teacher for the time being." She announced. Ying-fa, who had been silent up until now, cocked her head to the side and gazed at the teacher.  
  
"Ms. Higarzawa….." She tried to pronounce. The teacher bit her lip to keep from smiling.  
  
"Just call me Miss Hilde. I hate formalities."  
  
"What's a formality? Mama always uses that word." Xiao-long commented. Hilde smiled.  
  
"It means, being prim and overly polite." She informed him. The boy nodded in understanding.  
  
"Ms. Hilde, I wanna play." Ying-fa tried again. Hilde looked down at her.  
  
"What would you like to play?" She asked. The five stared at her in shock and disbelief.  
  
"We're in school. We can't play, Ying." Chang hissed. Hilde held up a hand.  
  
"Don't be so sure about that. What would you like to play, Ying-fa?" She asked. The little girl looked thoughtful.  
  
"Outside. Hide and seek." She stated. Hilde nodded thoughtfully.  
  
"That could be arranged. But you'd have to do something for me first."  
  
"What?" Deluce asked sharply, still suspicious. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I *do* still have to give you lessons, but I would like to make them more enjoyable for you. I hated being stuck in stuffy rooms when I was in school, and I don't believe that you should be. Is there anywhere, perhaps outside, where we could have lessons?"  
  
"Well, there is the pavilion by the fishing pond….." Xiaolong commented. Hilde beamed.  
  
"Perfect. Now, gather your things. Yes, your text-books as well, and we'll have to follow Xiaolong out to the pavilion, since I don't know where it is!" Hilde laughed. The young boy led them out proudly, and little Ying-fa fell into step beside her new teacher.  
  
"I like you. You're nice." She whispered. Hilde smiled.  
  
"Well, I like you too." With this from the teacher, the little girl put her hand into Hilde's, and held it tight.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Mother, she was great!"  
  
"…..and we went to the pond….."  
  
"…..I fell in! And she laughed and told me it was all right!"  
  
"…..She asked me what I was reading….."  
  
"…..the ducks ate my bread!"  
  
This was the chatter at the Li table that night, well after Hilde had left. The children were talking so eagerly, they had forgotten to eat what was on their plates. Even the quiet Xiaolong was talking away, informing his mother about everything the teacher had taught him, and what she had said. The mothers listened in shock, Yelan was openly astonished, and Kojii simply sat, his face stony.  
  
"She's pretty. She's nice, too, mama." Ying-fa exclaimed.  
  
"And she doesn't smell." Akito added.  
  
"Yes she does! She smells like…..like….." Deluce trailed off, unable to come up with the words.  
  
"Like…..something…..like….." Chang trailed off as well, his eyes confused.  
  
"Vanilla and lavender." Came the sudden mumble from Kojii. His family looked at him, shocked.  
  
"Yeah! That's just what she smells like! How did you know, Uncle Kojii?" Deluce asked, frowning. Kojii slammed down his fork, a look of rage filling his face.  
  
"I just do." He snapped, storming out of the room. His aunts were shocked at this display, but Yelan was looking thoughtful.  
  
"She has a twin, too, mama." Ying-fa said in a hesitant voice.  
  
"Yeah. She told me that her twin went to school with Uncle Kojii, when they were younger. Her name's Heidi." Xiaolong filled in. Yelan let out a gasp and her eyes widened.  
  
"Could it be?" She mussed, frowning slightly. Her daughters watched her, alarmed.  
  
"What is it, mother?"  
  
"Nothing, girls. I just have to make a phone-call. What is your teacher's last name, Chang?" Yelan asked. Chang frowned, trying to remember.  
  
"Hiiragizawa…..I think. She asked us to call her Ms. Hilde, though."  
  
"Good enough. Now finish your meal, children. I have some telephoning to do." Yelan stated, gliding out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So…..how was it?" Meilei asked later that night, when Hilde returned to their dorm. Meilei and Akane were seated around a game-board, playing checkers.  
  
"It was wonderful. Your cousins are perfect angels, Meilei." Hilde exclaimed, hanging up her coat. Meilei looked astonished.  
  
"WHAT? How can you say that?! Didn't they prank you?"  
  
"They tried, once. But I happened to smell the paint before I sat down, luckily." Hilde giggled. Meilei groaned.  
  
"You lucky thing. I suppose they loved you after that?"  
  
"I don't know. I took them outside and we did their lessons there. And Akito fell into the pond." Hilde laughed. Meilei grinned.  
  
"I suppose he was watching the fish swimming." She stated, as Akane moved a game-piece and won the game. Hilde nodded and bit into the sandwich she had made for herself.  
  
"So today went well?" Akane asked.  
  
"Yes. I promised them that I would bring some candy as prizes, tomorrow. We're going to play 'hide-the-candy' and whoever finds that piece gets to keep it." Hilde murmured.  
  
"What about their lessons?"  
  
"They have to answer a math equation before they are allowed to search for it."  
  
"That's smart. I'm sure they will love it."  
  
*RING!*  
  
"Hello?" Meilei asked, picking up the phone.  
  
"Oh! Hello, Aunt Tomoyo. Yes, Hilde's here." Meilei answered, handing the phone over. Hilde smiled and took it.  
  
"Mama?"  
  
"Hilde, darling! How are you doing?"  
  
"Wonderful. And you?"  
  
"Just fine. But you will never guess who just called me." Tomoyo said in an excited voice. Hilde shrugged.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Yelan Li!"  
  
"Li-sama? What did she want?" Hilde asked, her heart pounding. Tomoyo laughed.  
  
"She was telling me about how her grandchildren were raving about you, and how happy she was with your work. Then she asked me the strangest question. She wanted to know if you had ever been to Japan."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. I told her you had, and she asked me when. Then I told her about you girls switching places….."  
  
"Oh, mother! You didn't!" Hilde gasped, putting a hand to her forehead. Tomoyo laughed.  
  
"It isn't all that bad, darling! She thought it was funny."  
  
"I'm sure she did. But now she knows how we tricked everyone…..and she'll obviously link that to her grandson….."  
  
"Which one?" Tomoyo asked mischievously. Hilde groaned and glanced at the smirking Meilei.  
  
"Kojii Li, mama." She finally muttered. Tomoyo let out a delighted laugh.  
  
"And so she did! She thought it was ingenious of you."  
  
"Then what did you talk about?" Hilde asked in a tired voice.  
  
"We just got to talking about the old days. You know. Back when Sakura and I were inseparable, and Meiling was my co-worker, and that Roderick man was my admirer….."  
  
"Wait! What Roderick man?" Hilde asked, remembering the name that Meilei had mentioned, that belonged to…..Kojii's fiancee.  
  
"Oh, I've told you about him, you just don't remember. But darling, I have to go. Your sister just came in with Bailey, and we're going to eat dinner." Tomoyo informed her.  
  
"All right, mama. Talk to you soon." Hilde murmured, hanging up the phone. Meilei looked at her in curiosity.  
  
"Your mother knows Shayla's father?"  
  
"Apparently, he was one of her admirers. But lets not talk about this, please." Hilde sighed. The other two girls looked at each other and grinned.  
  
"Hilde, you look a little…..upset. You need something to raise your mood." Akane stated. Hilde was about to say something, but a pillow was thrown into her face.  
  
"AHH! MEILEI!" Hilde shrieked, grabbing her own pillow and batting her friend with it. Soon, all three girls were involved in the WWIII of pillow fights.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Miss Hilde!" Ying-fa exclaimed, as their teacher entered the school-room the next day. Hilde smiled and went over to look at the picture the little girl had drawn.  
  
"We figured out what you smell like, Ms. Hilde!" Akito announced as soon as she was done 'oh-ing' over the picture.  
  
"Really?" Hilde asked with a slight laugh. The boy nodded.  
  
"Lav…..lave….."  
  
"Vanilla and lavender." Chang finished. Hilde looked surprised and laughed delightedly.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. Uncle Kojii told us." At Deluce's words, Hilde's laughter stopped and she turned pale. Luckily, none of the children noticed this.  
  
"Anyway, can we go outside again, today?" Chang asked. Hilde forced a smile.  
  
"Of course. And I have a new game for us to play. I brought some candy….."  
  
"CANDY!" Ying-fa and Akito exclaimed, their eyes shinning.  
  
"Yes, candy. We are going to play a type of 'Hide-and-seek' with it, except you each have to answer a math question right, before you can try to find it. Those who don't answer a question right, can't try to find the candy on that turn." Hilde explained. The children agreed and the six quickly made their way outside.  
  
Hilde had Chang distract the others, while she found a good hiding place around the pavilion for the candy. When she was through, she came back and had them all sit on benches that rested near the pond.  
  
"All right. Chang, what is twenty divided by five?"  
  
The game progressed, Chang, Xiaolong, and Deluce getting the most candy, and the younger children finding the least. The older two offered some of their winnings, however, and that made Ying-fa and Akito content.  
  
"What now?" Xiaolong asked as he bit into a chocolate square. Hilde smiled.  
  
"History." This was met by a resounding groan, but the older children obediently opened their text-books while the younger ones watched with interest.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Kojii, this is my father, Robert Roderick." Shayla introduced. Kojii looked at the older man coldly, but politely shook his hand.  
  
"I am very pleased that my daughter has found such a man as you to marry." Robert stated. Kojii nearly rolled his eyes in disgust.  
  
"Thank you, sir." He said, as Shayla led them back into the gardens. Robert and Shayla were doing most of the talking, and Kojii was wishing that he could be anywhere but there. Suddenly, a bright, happy shriek interrupted the father-daughter talk.  
  
"I'LL GET YOU, CHANG!"  
  
"No you won't! He's too fast!"  
  
"Go Deluce!"  
  
"Go, Lucy, go!"  
  
"I win!"  
  
After this happy cry, there was a barrage of laughter as Chang raced into view, sticking his tongue out at Deluce, who was bent over, panting behind him. Ying-fa and Akito were rolling on the ground, laughing at their cousins antics, and Xiaolong was hiding his grin behind his large text- book.  
  
"All right. Chang, you get the next question, then." A young woman stepped into view, her long black hair pulled back into a braid and her amethyst eyes sparkling. She asked something and Chang grinned, giving a quick answer.  
  
"Right. Now, you choose who has to race you." The woman informed him. The boy gave a crow of delight.  
  
"You! You have to race me!"  
  
"Oh no! I can't run!" The woman laughed, getting into place, nonetheless. Deluce gave the signal and the two running figures disappeared. The younger children were cheering now, and Xiaolong had actually dropped his book, and was jumping up and down, cheering.  
  
"She won! Miss Hilde won!" Deluce shrieked in joy. The woman, Miss Hilde, stopped for air and then breathlessly asked another question. Akito was about to answer, when his eyes caught Kojii's.  
  
"UNCLE KOJII!"  
  
"What are you doing here?" Chang asked sharply, visibly angry that their game had been interrupted.  
  
"Who is he?" Deluce added rudely, eyeing the older man.  
  
"Deluce, that was rude." The woman murmured, pulling the small girl back and looking into her eyes. Deluce looked ashamed.  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered. The woman smiled and placed an arm around her shoulders, while her other hand found Ying-fa's.  
  
"We are here to see the gardens. And you?" Snapped the lady by Kojii's side. Chang wrinkled his nose.  
  
"This is our school-time. Miss Hilde let us take our lessons outside today." He informed her.  
  
"That's the mean old lady that came to dinner." Akito informed Hilde in a stage-whisper. Hilde shifted uncomfortably as the older man beside Kojii let his gaze sweep over her form.  
  
"You look so much like….." The man said in an almost breathless voice, but he stopped.  
  
"Like who? And *who* are you?" Chang hissed again.  
  
"This is Shayla's father." Kojii informed them coldly, his eyes never leaving Hilde's lovely face.  
  
"Robert Roderick, at your service, mam." The older man greeted. Hilde jumped as she heard this name.  
  
"Oh! You knew my mother!" She gasped. The man visibly flinched and eyed her carefully.  
  
"Did I? She wouldn't happen to be named Tomoyo Daidouji, would she?" He asked sharply. Hilde tightened her grip on Deluce's shoulders, and the young girl snuggled closer.  
  
"That was her maiden name, sir."  
  
"Oh? What does she go by, now?" He asked snootily. A slight, indignant blush rose to Hilde's cheeks.  
  
"Tomoyo Hiiragizawa." She said shortly, now uncomfortably aware of Kojii's look. He was simply staring at her, his eyes shielded and cold. But there was something in the way his body moved that suggested he recognized her.  
  
"So…..she did marry him." Robert said, half to himself. Hilde frowned.  
  
"Yes…..well, if you will excuse us. We have lessons to do." She murmured. Robert nodded and led his daughter away, leaving Kojii standing there alone.  
  
"It did not look as if you were having lessons." He snapped. Hilde turned and hurt flashed across her eyes.  
  
"I prefer to make my lessons fun, sir." She stated. He stiffened.  
  
"Fun? Since when was school fun?" He hissed. Hilde worked to keep her tears at bay.  
  
"You will not question my ways of teaching, Kojii Li." She snapped, turning her heal and going down a path, out of sight. The younger children followed her without looking back, while Xiaolong gave his cousin a long, hard look and then quickly followed. Deluce gave him a glare, stuck her tongue out, and then ran to catch up. But Chang simply stood and looked at his cousin threateningly.  
  
"If you do anything to hurt or anger Miss Hilde, I swear I will hurt *you*, Kojii." He hissed, turning and stalking away. Kojii stood, shocked. This was the first time that Chang had used his name without a title in front of it. His aunts had insisted that the children call him 'uncle', because of their age differences, so it was no surprise that Kojii was shocked.  
  
"Kojii, love? Are you coming?" Shayla asked, appearing from behind a bend in the path. Kojii growled and turned to follow Shayla, his eyes still glued to the place that he had last saw *her*.  
  
The only woman he had ever loved had slipped out of his grasp once again.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	11. Letting go, admitting love

Daphne: Alright, I have no idea why the last chapter came out like that. I think it had something to do with FF.com, because I saw other stories that came out just like mine. So I am trying one more time, and if this chapter works, I will try to fix chapter nine, ok?  
  
Thank you for all the reviews, and thank you for your patience. My computer monitor broke, and we had to get a new one, so I haven't been able to get on for the past two days! Bummer, huh?  
  
Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please continue to review!!!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 10.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Miss Hilde?"  
  
It had been almost a month since the scene in the garden, but none of the children had forgotten it. This particular day, the rain had kept them from going outside, so they were stuck in the school room. They had been allowed half an hour of quiet time, to do as they liked, and the children had begun to think back to that day in the garden.  
  
"Yes, Deluce?"  
  
"Why did you call Uncle Kojii by his real name? That time, in the garden?" She asked softly. Hilde caught her breath and bit her lip, an action which was not missed by the sharp eyed Chang, who raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I was upset. I shouldn't have done it." Hilde murmured. Xiaolong frowned.  
  
"But how did you know his name?" He asked. Hilde sighed.  
  
"I'm sure that you know about my sister going to school with him when they were younger...don't you?" At her words, the children shook their heads. Hilde sighed again.  
  
"Well...she did. And they weren't very friendly towards each other."  
  
"They didn't like each other?" Ying-fa asked.  
  
"They *hated* each other. But one day, my sister asked me to switch places with her. I did, and I met Kojii...Li-sama, there." Hilde explained. Deluce had now slid to her side, and placed her hand into Hilde's. Ying-fa had taken to resting her head on Hilde's lap, while Chang sat on the desk across from them. Xiaolong sat on the floor next to Ying-fa, with Akito close by his side.  
  
"What was Uncle Kojii like, back then?" Xiaolong asked. Hilde smiled, remembering.  
  
"At first he was a perfect horror, always trying to get under my skin and make fun of me. Then, I became sick, and was forced to stay at his house. It was at that time when I realized that he was actually quite nice, just a little mischievous. When Meilei and I became good friends, he started warming up to me...but remember, this was when I was acting as my sister. Meilei had figured out our secret, but Kojii...he hadn't." Hilde went on. The children's smiles faded.  
  
"I knew that if my sister came back, she would hurt him by telling him that she had never liked him. So, I decided to tell him I had 'changed' as a deal with a friend, and I pushed him away. According to Meilei, he was never the same after that. I suppose...I suppose that I am the one who made him the way he is now." Hilde murmured, her tears near the surface.  
  
Poor little Ying-fa began crying softly, and the boys were looking stunned by the end. Deluce buried her head into Hilde's shoulder and hugged her tightly.  
  
"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't." The girl's voice was muffled.  
  
"'Lucy is right. It was not your fault." Xiaolong stated, using Deluce's nickname. The two younger children nodded sharply, and Chang simply frowned, obviously agreeing with them.  
  
"Poor Uncle Kojii. Poor you, Ms. Hilde." Ying-fa whimpered, hugging her teacher's knees. Hilde smiled at the children's support, and her smile made them all feel better.  
  
"Thank you. But you know...I think your school time is just about over!" Her words raised a happy cheer from the children, and they quickly went to put their things away, completely forgetting their sorrow.  
  
None of them noticed a pair of amber eyes watching them through the slightly-open classroom door.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Shy-by!" Came a cry from over the line. Hilde had just called her sister, and obviously, Heidi was more than willing to talk.  
  
"Hello to you, too, Dee." Hilde laughed, using her sister's nickname.  
  
"How are you doing? How is Meilei? Are you having fun teaching?" Heidi shot questions as soon as she thought of them. Hilde laughed.  
  
"I am fine. She's doing well. Yes, lots of fun." She answered jokingly. Heidi let out a laugh.  
  
"So, who are your latest students?" She asked. Hilde paused.  
  
"Um...I'm tutoring a group of cousins." She admitted hesitantly. Heidi made an exasperated sound.  
  
"Yes, but who are they?"  
  
"Meilei's young cousins. There are five of them, and they all live at the Li family home..."  
  
"WAIT! Back up, Shy-by! You mean to tell me, that you are working in a place that you can see Kojii Li every day?" Her sister asked, shocked. Hilde winced.  
  
"I've only seen him once...and that was with his *fiancee* and her father." Hilde explained. Heidi snorted.  
  
"Fiancee? Who would want to marry him?"  
  
"It's an arranged marriage. Her name is Shayla Roderick. Her father, Robert Roderick, used to know mother." Hilde explained. Heidi gave a gasp.  
  
"Hilde! Do you know who he is?" She choked out. Hilde frowned.  
  
"No. I know that he was mother's friend..."  
  
"He was never her friend! He was that man who was so obsessed with her, he tried to rape mother!" Heidi shouted. Hilde gasped and collapsed into a chair.  
  
"What?!" She managed.  
  
"It's true. Hilde, you'd better watch out. He might just come after you, he was so obsessed with mum." Heidi advised. Hilde groaned.  
  
"Dee, he's obviously married, and he has a daughter..."  
  
"Who is probably as crummy as he is..."  
  
"HEIDI! Be serious, please! I wonder if we should tell the Li's this."  
  
"Heck no! Hilde, if we did, what evidence could we give them to prove anything. Just lay low for right now. Try to find out her mother's name. Perhaps that would help." Heidi suggested. Hilde wrinkled her nose.  
  
"You are too much, sister-dear."  
  
"I know. I know."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Miss Hilde, grandma said she wanted to talk with you after school." Akito stated, as he and his cousins settled into their seats in the pavilion. Hilde looked up, alarmed.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. She wants to meet you." Deluce added, her eyes sparkling. Obviously she knew something that the other's did not.  
  
"All right." Hilde murmured, getting out her teaching book. Ying-fa and Akito had their lessons first, today, while the others worked on their spelling. While Hilde was busy with the two twins, she failed to notice Deluce sneaking away, nor the girl's timely return, just before Hilde turned her attention back to the older three.  
  
Finally, lessons were through, but for once, the children stayed and helped to clean up. Then they led their teacher back into the house.  
  
"Grandma's waiting for you in the tea-room. I'll show you." Deluce offered, taking Hilde's hand and leading her down a long hall that Hilde had never been in, as the other children turned down another hallway, looking over their shoulders as they went. Deluce and Hilde stopped as they came to a big set of oak-wood doors, and Deluce opened one.  
  
"She's here, grandma." The girl called. There was a slight laugh from inside.  
  
"Well, let her in, child. Don't keep her standing out there." Came a soft, strong voice. Deluce grinned at these words and quickly pulled her teacher into the room.  
  
"Here she is! She looks just like the picture you showed me of her mother, grandma!" The girl exclaimed. Hilde looked confused, and then she turned her eyes to the woman in the room.  
  
Yelan Li was sitting in a straight-backed chair, her long black hair pulled up into its elegant knot and her hands folded calmly in her lap. Her face was serene, but it held a hint of a steely air in it.  
  
"Come in, dear. Don't be shy." Yelan murmured, motioning to the chair next to her. Hilde smiled and sat down, Deluce quickly taking a seat on the floor by her feet. Yelan looked at the young woman carefully, and then smiled.  
  
"You look just like your mother, Hilde. Is she still in the fashion industry?" Yelan asked, pouring two cups of tea and handing one to her. Hilde nodded.  
  
"She is. She loves it too much to simply leave." Hilde laughed. Yelan smiled.  
  
"You know, all of my grandchildren speak highly of you...especially Meilei." Yelan chuckled at this, and Deluce shot her a small glare.  
  
"I speak higher, grandma!" She pouted. Hilde laughed and stroked the girl's hair.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure you do. But the only person in my whole family who does not seem to speak about you much, is my grandson, Kojii." Yelan murmured, watching Hilde closely. The girl's face turned pale, and she bit her lip sharply, causing Yelan to wince slightly as she caught sight of it.  
  
"Oh?" Hilde asked, weakly. Yelan nodded, slowly pulling the girl into the trap she had laid. No, this wasn't a bad sort of trap...it was more of a information-grabbing trap.  
  
"Yes. Yet, although he doesn't *speak* of you, he seems to know more about you than any of them. Just the other day, in fact, the children were trying to figure out what you smelled like, and he informed them that you smelled of 'vanilla and lavender'. And I must say. He was right." Yelan laughed, taking a delicate sniff at the girl. Hilde flushed bright red.  
  
"I do not know how he could know." She murmured. Yelan raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, you don't? Deluce, will you go and ask the cook what we are having for supper?"  
  
"But grandma..."  
  
"Now, Deluce." Yelan commanded. The little girl frowned and stomped from the room, her brown hair swinging as she went. Yelan then turned to Hilde.  
  
"You were a lot closer to Kojii than either of you have admitted, weren't you?" She asked in a clipped voice. Hilde winced.  
  
"He was...a friend." She murmured.  
  
"But you felt that you were cheating him, because he didn't know you weren't your sister." Yelan filled in for her. Hilde nodded. Yelan sighed.  
  
"Hilde, you were closer than friends, weren't you? Tell me the truth. What did you feel for him?" Yelan asked, her voice slightly warmer. Hilde swallowed hard and tears neared the surface.  
  
"I...I don't now. I thought we were friends...but then he...and I..." Hilde trailed off, unable to continue. She hung her head and stared at her lap.  
  
"What happened, Hilde?"  
  
"The last day I was in Japan. I had to tell him that the truce was off...he wasn't pleased...but then he kissed me..." At this, Hilde blushed and Yelan looked at her in astonishment. Then Hilde went on.  
  
"He told me that if I was going to 'push him down', that he was going to take me down with him." Hilde murmured, one single tear running down her cheek.  
  
"And he did, didn't he?" Yelan asked. Hilde frowned.  
  
"In what respect?"  
  
"You are still in love with him. And he with you."  
  
"He never loved me." Hilde murmured. Yelan chuckled.  
  
"Child, I think he does. Remember how he used to be? Now look at him now. Don't tell me that 'nothing' made that change. It was you. And you alone can fix it." Yelan stated. Hilde was about to protest when the doors opened again. The two women turned and Hilde caught her breath hard.  
  
There, in the doorway, stood Kojii Li. His face was stony, and his body was rigid.  
  
"Supper is ready, grandmother." He announced, his eyes straying over to Hilde. Yelan noticed this and smiled.  
  
"I will be down in a moment, Kojii. I am just finishing my talk with Hilde." Yelan stated, her eyes twinkling. The young man nodded and turned to go.  
  
"No, you stay here, Kojii. Hilde, it was very nice speaking with you, and I will call you soon, so we can chat more." Yelan murmured, hugging Hilde and placing a kiss on her forehead. Hilde nodded and quickly walked away, not once glancing at the young man in the doorway.  
  
"She is a wonderful girl, isn't she?" Yelan asked. Kojii stiffened even more.  
  
"I wouldn't know."  
  
"Don't even try to deny it, Kojii. I am not blind and I see what has happened. But let me tell you this. She has suffered as much, if not more than you have over this, and it will not do to keep denying it. She tried to as well, but the truth always comes out when I am questioning, my grandson. Remember that." Yelan stated, leaving the room. Kojii stood still, looking at the place where Hilde had once sat.  
  
His eyes were now filled with pain, as he started to walk over towards the chair she had been seated in; pain and many more emotions that he would never allow any other person to see.  
  
"Why? Why did you have to come back and make my life a hell again? Why, Hilde?" He groaned, sinking into the chair and stuffing his face into its cushions.  
  
The faint smell of vanilla and lavender still lingered there.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Ms. Hilde! Ms. Hilde!"  
  
Hilde looked up from the tests she was correcting, and smiled at the tiny Ying-fa. The children had had a half-day of lessons today, and she had stayed to correct the tests they had taken that day.  
  
"What is it, darling?"  
  
"Will you take a walk with me?" The little girl asked eagerly, her black curls bouncing as she shifted eagerly from one foot to the other. Hilde smiled.  
  
"Wait a moment and let me finish correcting Xiaolong's test." She murmured, quickly finishing the grading. Then she placed the test into its proper place and got up.  
  
"Where are we going?" She asked. Ying-fa smiled.  
  
"The gardens. Mommy said I could take you there." She squealed excitedly. Hilde laughed and followed the little girl willingly. Ying-fa led her out into the gardens and past the pavilion where they normally took their lessons. Instead, the girl led her to a little maze-area and pulled her in there.  
  
"This is my favorite place to play 'hide-and-seek'. No one ever finds me here." Ying-fa informed Hilde. The older woman smiled.  
  
"I'll bet."  
  
"It ends at a prettier garden, that grandma planted. Only we know how to get there." Ying-fa informed her happily, as she skipped down the path. Hilde smiled at the little girl's enthusiasm and followed, enjoying the greenery around her.  
  
"Look! There it is!" Ying-fa exclaimed, pulling her into a small, but lovely garden. There were several sakura trees scattered around it, and peonies dotted the ground here and there in clumps. Other flowers mixed with the peonies, and ivy covered the ground in patches. Small benches were placed here and there in the circular area, and a small stream ran through it.  
  
"Oh, it's lovely, Ying-fa!" Hilde gasped. Ying-fa giggled happily.  
  
"Uh-huh!" She murmured, gazing at something out of the corner of her eye. The little girl's smile widened.  
  
"UNCLE KOJII!" She cried, running over to the man standing in the pathway, looking nothing less than shocked. Hilde turned, her heart pounding as her amethyst eyes collided with the all-too familiar amber ones.  
  
"I was showing Ms. Hilde the garden. Isn't she pretty here?" The little girl exclaimed, looking lovingly at her teacher. Hilde's cheeks reddened even more.  
  
"Yes, she is." Kojii answered suddenly, surprising even himself. Hilde's eyes rose and found his, becoming captured in their depths. Ying-fa watched this with a sly little smile, as she crept over to where four little figures hid, trying to stifle their giggles.  
  
"Mission accomplished. Let's go tell grandma." Chang whispered, as the five quickly snuck out of the garden and back home, leaving Kojii and Hilde staring helplessly at each other.  
  
"I'm...I'm sorry. If I had known that you would be here..." Hilde began softly, her body slightly shaking in nervousness, at his presence.  
  
"You would have left, I know." He muttered. Hilde looked at him in astonishment.  
  
"What?" She asked, half-breathlessly. He turned his penetrating gaze back to her.  
  
"You wouldn't have followed Ying-fa. This was a set up, I'm absolutely sure." Kojii commented, nonchalantly. Hilde gasped.  
  
"You mean...Ying-fa brought me here..."  
  
"So we would just 'happen' to run into each other." He stated coldly. Hilde turned horrified eyes back to the building the children had just retreated into.  
  
"Oh! OH!" She gasped, hopelessly unable to do anything more. Her wide amethyst eyes found his and searched desperately for answers.  
  
"Why? Why would they do that?" She breathed. Kojii's voice caught and his heart pounded as her innocent amethyst eyes pleaded with his. It was those same eyes that had caused him to loose his heart all those years ago. He quickly took a steadying breath and shrugged.  
  
"Why do they do most of the things they do? For their own foolish pleasure, I suppose." He stated, loosening up considerably. How could he not, when she was obviously so sweetly confused? His words caused Hilde to laugh slightly.  
  
"Children will be children. And your cousins are five in five-million, so treasure them." She teased. He groaned.  
  
"Speak for yourself, Hiiragizawa." He chuckled. It was then that it struck them both; they were having an actual, civil conversation! This revelation caused them to shoot weak smiles at each other, which in fact, was the first time Kojii had smiled since he had returned to his home all those years ago.  
  
"Well, I had better go in and get my things. Meilei will be wondering where I have gone." Hilde murmured. Kojii nodded, his smile vanishing.  
  
"I shall see you soon, I hope." The last two words were almost illegible, and Hilde failed to hear them.  
  
"Good day, Li-sama." She answered, turning away. His response was to growl softly in annoyance at himself, and watch her retreating form disappear from sight.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Kojii?"  
  
"Meilei, it's late. What's wrong?" Kojii asked as his sister's voice came over the line, surprisingly soft.  
  
"Nothing much. Hilde and Akane are asleep, but Kojii, something happened at the manor today, didn't it?" Meilei asked. Kojii stiffened at her words.  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Hilde came in tonight, looking really...far away. She hardly talked at all (not that that is strange), but then she went right to her bedroom after dinner, and didn't come out at all." Meilei explained. Kojii sighed.  
  
"Ying-fa lured her into the gardens when she knew I would be there. I was lucky enough to have a small chat with her." This last sentence was said in a sarcastic tone, but there was an edge of bitterness to it.  
  
"And..."  
  
"It was just civil conversation, Mei. Nothing more." He murmured. Meilei quickly walked out onto the porch of their dorm, and shut the door tightly behind her, before beginning her rant.  
  
"Kojii Li, you just stop this foolishness right now! I know that you love her! I've known it since she left Japan and I found that smashed lamp in your trash-basket!"  
  
"Shut up, Meilei." He hissed, his voice hard and cold. Meilei growled, something that was very un-like her.  
  
"NO! This has to stop, Kojii! You can't keep torturing yourself over this. You LOVE her, Kojii, and the more you try to deny it, the more it's going to eat at you, just like it's done the past five years. And just like it will if you marry that Roderick creature! So do yourself a favor and let it go! See where things take you once you let go. I bet you anything, by next year, Hilde will be yours." Meilei assured him. Kojii's heart pounded at this revelation, and he sank onto his bed, burying his head in a pillow.  
  
"How do you know?" He asked weakly. Mei smiled tenderly.  
  
"Because. If Hilde cared enough to get sick after she found out what she was putting you through, she cares enough to love you." Meilei sighed. Kojii frowned and turned over so he was staring at his ceiling.  
  
"Excuse me?!"  
  
"After Hilde went back to Japan, I called her to give her an update on what you were doing. I told her about how you destroyed your pillows and lamp, and even resorted to beating up the school building. Right after I told her that, the phone was dropped and then picked up by her best friend, Akane. Akane informed me that Hilde had just exited stage-right, to the bathroom, where she was presently getting sick. Apparently, the guilt of what she had done to you was too much for her stomach to handle." Meilei said gently. Now it was Kojii's turn to have waves of guilt waft over him.  
  
"What am I going to do?" He moaned, slapping a hand to his forehead.  
  
"First, you break off your engagement, and for once, tell the elders *why* you're doing it. Second, according to grandma, the sexual tension between you and Hilde is thick enough to cut with a knife. I suggest you just tell her what you're feeling and get it over with." Meilei laughed. Kojii blushed.  
  
"Meilei! I am *not* like that!"  
  
"Fine. Forget talking. Kiss her, for Kami-sama's sake!" Meilei exclaimed. Kojii blushed bright red and Meilei could tell that he was from clear on the other end of the wire. She laughed again.  
  
"Good luck, brother dear! Nighty-night! Have sweet dreams!" Meilei giggled impishly, before hanging up the phone quickly.  
  
Kojii stared at his phone in shock, trying to register what had just happened. One thing was for sure. The old Kojii was returning, little-by- little, and he was determined to get his love back where she belonged...  
  
...In his arms.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	12. Ending a trap, or gaining one?

JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 11.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Honored Elders, I wish to call off my engagement." Kojii said in a strong voice. There were several shocked murmurs, but the Head Elder nodded his head.  
  
"Your grandmother has spoken to me on this issue. I believe that she mentioned 'someone else'. May I ask who this person is?" The man questioned, his hard eyes on the young man's face. Kojii kept his face neutral.  
  
"An old school...friend. I would like to pursue a possible relationship with her."  
  
"School friend? Are you close to her now?"  
  
"Not particularly. But I am trying." Kojii stated.  
  
"She wouldn't happen to be known as, Hilde Hiiragizawa, would she, Li- sama?" The man asked. Kojii just barely kept his blush hidden.  
  
"She is."  
  
"Ahh. Daughter of Eriol and Tomoyo Hiiragizawa, close friends of your own parents. She is also your sister's friend. Yes, Li-sama, I believe that this would be a good match for you. We shall discuss it and you will return for our edict tomorrow." The man commanded, motioning the younger man out of the room. Kojii bowed respectfully and quickly left the room, a smile adorning his face.  
  
"Well?" A young voice asked. Kojii looked down in astonishment to see Chang walking quietly beside him.  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"You're smiling, Kojii. That could only mean that you are one step closer to getting Miss Hilde." Chang murmured. Kojii smiled wider.  
  
"You are a smart boy, Chang. Yes, I have just requested that I be...freed from my arranged marriage."  
  
"And?"  
  
"They will give me their answer tomorrow. But aren't you supposed to be in school?"  
  
"Miss Hilde let us out early today. But I have to go get something...and you are coming with me!" Chang announced. Kojii felt himself turn pale, but he followed the boy to the schoolroom.  
  
"Hi, Miss Hilde. I forgot my book, and I found Uncle Kojii walking around, so I dragged him along to get it." Chang announced, entering the room and walking over to his desk. Hilde looked up from her work, startled, and then managed a weak smile at the man in the doorway.  
  
"Hello, Li-sama." She murmured, watching as Chang retrieved the lost item, and quickly walked towards the door. He looked at Kojii meaningfully, and then left the two alone.  
  
"Another set up?" Hilde asked weakly. Kojii shrugged.  
  
"What else?" He asked, turning a chair around and straddling it, resting his arms on the back of the chair. Hilde watched him nervously and then quickly looked back down at her work.  
  
"How long have you been interested in teaching?" Kojii asked suddenly, for no apparent reason. Hilde looked up, thoughtfully.  
  
"For a long time, now. When I was a child, I used to get all my dolls and my siblings together, and I would 'teach' them, sometimes." Hilde's eyes grew dreamy at this remembrance. Kojii chuckled.  
  
"I suppose Heidi *loved* that." He laughed. Hilde blushed.  
  
"Actually, I think she did. It was my brother Yuki that hated it. I don't think my dolls liked it either. They tended to fall over, asleep apparently, during my lessons." She giggled. Kojii chuckled.  
  
"So now you've won the hearts of the five 'kaijuu's', and are their beloved teacher. Who would have thought?" He asked, looking at her admiringly. Hilde blushed.  
  
"What are you doing, now? I thought your parents were supposed to be running the country, by now." She reminded him. Kojii shrugged.  
  
"I gave them a few years more of retirement. Dad loves his freedom, and mom loves Japan. I like it anywhere, so I'll stay here as long as I'm needed."  
  
"And your fiancee's here." She added, as a bitter twinge entered her heart. Kojii winced.  
  
"Hopefully, she won't be, soon. I have put in a request to end the engagement." He informed her. Hilde looked stunned and her wide amethyst eyes searched his.  
  
"Why, Kojii?" She asked softly. Kojii frowned.  
  
"Tell me something, Hilde. Would *you* want to be stuck in a marriage, where you could neither love nor respect your partner? Heck, I can't stand her." He muttered. Hilde caught her breath.  
  
"No. My mother was nearly forced into a marriage once...her mother thought it would be for the best, but the man was simply horrid." Hilde shuddered. Kojii looked intrigued.  
  
"Really? Do tell."  
  
"I...I can't. I shouldn't." She whispered. Kojii frowned.  
  
"Hilde..." His voice was warning her. She winced.  
  
"His name was Robert. Robert *Roderick*. And he attempted to rape my mother, just to have her as his." Hilde finally murmured. Kojii jerked back, appalled.  
  
"WHAT?! Shayla's father?" He choked. She nodded.  
  
"He's the one. Heidi reminded me when she called me a last month." Hilde stated. Kojii turned confused amber eyes towards her.  
  
"That would explain why I didn't like him when I met him. There was just something about the way he looked."  
  
"I felt it too. His daughter isn't much better, it seems." Hilde commented, then slapped her hand to her mouth in horror. Her wide amethyst eyes betrayed her self-disgust of what she had just said, but Kojii laughed.  
  
"You've got that right. I just hope the elders will let it go." He muttered. Hilde silently agreed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Honored Elders, I ask for your decision." Kojii said in a respectful, yet tense voice. There was a long pause, then:  
  
"Li-sama, we have decided to grant your request to end your engagement." The head elder stated, his eyes steely, as always. Kojii bowed respectfully and quickly exited the room, his heart jumping madly.  
  
"I'm free." He whispered, a familiar gleam coming to his eyes again. There was a shuffle near him, and Kojii looked up to see Deluce trailing after him uncertainly.  
  
"Uncle Kojii?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Is the bad lady going to try to marry you, anymore?" The young girl asked hesitantly. Kojii gazed down at his eight year-old cousin and then smiled.  
  
"No. She's not in the picture any more, Dell." He murmured, using his own nickname for her. She gave a happy squeal.  
  
"REALLY?!"  
  
"Really." He murmured.  
  
"HE'S NOT MARRYING HER! KOJII'S FREE!" Deluce shrieked, racing for the pavilion where her cousins were still taking their lessons. Everyone looked up in shock.  
  
"Who's free?" Xiaolong asked, still not comprehending.  
  
"Yayayayayayayay!!!" Ying-fa cried, throwing herself into her cousin's arms, her twin just steps behind her.  
  
"Good going, old man!" Chang exclaimed, rising from his seat and allowing his book to fall, unheeded, to his feet. Hilde too, rose and clasped her hands together tightly. Soon, Kojii found himself smothered by five pairs of arms, trying to hug various parts of his body.  
  
"You don't have to marry the bad lady." Akito crowed, as his cousin tried to pry him off his arm.  
  
"Give him air!" Hilde laughed, her amethyst eyes sparkling. The children shared sly smirks and backed off immediately.  
  
"Miss Hilde, this is everyone's celebration, not just Kojii's. Now do the right thing and hug him to show your congratulations." Deluce called, in a tone of voice that suggested she was talking to a child much younger than her. The two in question blushed.  
  
"He deserves it." Xiaolong added quickly, as Chang motioned everyone to leave the premises.  
  
"I'm sure he does." Hilde murmured, her eyes locked with Kojii's, as she moved forward and slowly slipped her arms around him in a gentle hug, laying her head down on his shoulder. For the first time since she had left him in Japan, Kojii felt the same rush of passion that he had felt the day before she had left. He quickly allowed his own arms to twine around her waist, and he held her close, neither one moving for quite some time.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So? How is it going?" Heidi asked a week later, when she, Meilei and Hilde were talking on the phone. Meilei, who was on the other line, shot Hilde a glance and the other girl blushed bright red.  
  
"Everything is fine." She murmured. Meilei snorted.  
  
"*Now*. Kojii just broke off his engagement, and has been paying a lot of attention to your dear twin, lately." Meilei stated. Heidi gave a shriek.  
  
"HILDE!!!"  
  
"It's nothing! He is only being polite." Hilde rushed.  
  
"Yeah. 'Being polite' is standing in the garden for half an hour, simply hugging." Meilei snorted.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"We weren't there for that long. And I was just giving him a 'congratulations' hug." Hilde tried to explain. Meilei laughed eagerly, her emerald eyes sparkling with humor.  
  
"That's what the children said. And that's why they took lots of pictures from grandma's sitting-room window." Meilei teased. Hilde choked on her gasp.  
  
"Excuse me?!"  
  
"I'll have lots of black-mail on you now, Hill! Send me some of those pictures, Mei!" Heidi exclaimed. Hilde turned even redder but said nothing.  
  
"So...how long has this been going on?" Heidi asked cheekily. Meilei looked confused for a moment, her inherited naïve-ness kicking in.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked. Heidi groaned.  
  
"I mean this Kojii thing."  
  
"OH! Since you two switched places." Meilei commented.  
  
"W-H-A-T?!?!?!" Heidi's shriek rang over the phone as Hilde slammed her end down. Meilei quickly followed suit and the two girls laughed.  
  
"That was a good one, Meilei. She bought it." Hilde laughed, a bit weakly.  
  
"I wasn't joking, Hilde. Stop lying to yourself please, and allow yourself the possibility." Meilei sighed. Hilde looked at her lap.  
  
"What possibility, Mei? Kojii's free now. He has the chance to find someone he really loves. And I am sure that he will take it."  
  
"And so am I. That is why I am preparing you." Mei said cryptically, wandering back to her room. Hilde watched after her, her eyes slightly blurred with tears.  
  
Kojii was free now. And he was slowly slipping away.  
  
Or was he?  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"HE WHAT?!" An angry, deep voice shouted into the telephone receiver. The person on the other end must have said something upsetting, because there was a deep growl and the slam of a phone.  
  
"He will pay. I have been cheated out of what was rightfully mine, too many times. I will not let it happen again." Hissed the deep voice. The phone was picked up again, and a number dialed.  
  
"Kaho, love? I need some information on Hiiragizawa Eriol and his family..."  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	13. Catch you, catch me, I'm falling for you

Daphne: First of all, I would like to thank you for your wonderful support when my story was plagiarized. The author of the other story apologized, so I am content. I would also like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story. I can assure you, there will be several more chapters after this, so hang tight! They are going to be the most exciting!  
  
And lastly, (and completely off the subject), I have gotten an idea for a story, and would like to run it by all of you before I write it, just to make sure that it would be something you would like to read. The description is at the bottom of the chapter, and it will be copyrighted (I learned my lesson!). Please read the description and tell me what you think. It will probably be a while before I write it...but I have a good feeling about the story!  
  
Anyway, on with this one!!!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE ©  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 12.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hello, Miss Hilde!" Ying-fa exclaimed, after another long day of being stuck inside the schoolroom. Outside, the rain was pouring down in buckets, so the children had had no chance to play, and all were restless.  
  
"Are you going to stay, Miss Hilde? Grandmother says that you simply must, because the storm's not letting up, and it is getting quite dangerous outside." Deluce stated, as she re-entered the room after her cousin, along with the other children. Hilde looked at her, alarmed.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She means, the streets are almost washed out. It is too dangerous for you to go out." Came a deep voice from the door. Hilde turned and her heart nearly stopped. Kojii leaned against the doorjamb, and smiled at her in his old, mischievous way.  
  
"Looks like your stuck with us, Hiiragizawa. You know, this kind of reminds me of another time you were stuck in my house...except that time, you were sick." He chuckled, brushing a strand of his messy chestnut hair out of his eyes. Hilde caught her breath as the younger people laughed.  
  
"Well, she will be sick if she goes out in that." Chang commented, pointing out the window. A strong gust of wind hit it at just that moment, and caused it to shake. Ying-fa stiffened and clutched to Hilde's legs, while Akito clung to his cousin's hand. Kojii smiled at the little boy and swung him up onto his shoulders.  
  
"Come on, Aki. Let's go." He said, walking out of the room with the happy boy on his shoulders. Chang followed close behind them, with Xiaolong following slowly, his nose buried in a book. Deluce stayed close to Hilde as she led Ying-fa out.  
  
"Where are we going?" Hilde asked softly. Kojii looked down at her with a smile that sent her heart pounding again.  
  
"Somewhere more cozy. My grandmother's sitting room is just the place. Besides. She's waiting for you there." He murmured. Hilde nodded weakly, still unsure about staying a whole night at the Li home.  
  
"Don't worry. Everyone will love to have you." He murmured, correctly reading her look. Hilde smiled and followed him into the room where Yelan sat, waiting for them.  
  
"I insist that you stay." Yelan stated, as soon as the young people were settled into chairs with cups of hot tea to warm them. Hilde blushed and looked at her lap.  
  
"But I have nothing to wear..."  
  
"Darling, I have four daughters, all of whom have perfectly good clothes that would fit you fine. Fuutie is about your size, so I will have her loan some to you. And don't you worry. She will be tickled pink to do so." Yelan murmured. Kojii and Chang snorted into their tea, clearly knowing just how pleased Fuutie would be to share her clothes...perhaps a bit too pleased...  
  
"And I will make sure my daughters behave around you." Yelan assured her, knowing how difficult it must have been for Hilde to meet the women when she had first come for her job interview. Hilde stifled her smile and took a sip of her tea.  
  
"Meilei..."  
  
"Knows. We called her to tell her." Yelan said shortly. Hilde smiled again and thanked the older woman.  
  
All this time, she never noticed a pair of intense amber eyes staring at her unblinkingly.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Later that night, Hilde stood in the huge room that she had been given to stay in. It had a huge four-poster bed that was draped in amethyst curtains, and huge windows that were covered in sheer white curtains. The storm had escalated into a full-blown thunderstorm, and the power had gone out some time ago.  
  
Hilde shivered and pulled the satin kimono that Fuutie had loaned her, tighter around her slim form. She stood close to one of the windows, staring out at the spectacular storm outside, and watching in wonder as lightning arced across the sky. Thunder was soon heard, booming loudly and shaking the windows as it went. Hilde watched all this with wide eyes.  
  
"Hilde?"  
  
Hilde gave a small shriek and turned, only to see a tall shadow standing in her doorway. The shadow moved, and a flickering candle came into view, revealing Kojii's worried handsome face. The two stood still for a moment, unable to find anything to say.  
  
"I was just coming to check up on you..." Kojii finally explained. Hilde nodded.  
  
"That is very kind, but I can't sleep. Thunderstorms have always had a way of keeping me awake." She murmured, turning back to the window as another lightning-bolt raced down from the sky. She didn't know, but it lit her whole lovely form up with it's light, and caused her hair to shine with an ethereal light, for just those few seconds.  
  
"Are you frightened of them?" He asked, moving away from the door and closer to her. She shook her head.  
  
"Not particularly. I just enjoy watching them too much. It has gotten me into trouble before, though. One night, I stayed up the whole night to watch a storm, and I had finals the next day." She laughed softly. Kojii simply stared at her form, illuminated against the lighted window in the dark room. He put his candle down on her bed-side table and then walked the rest of the way over to stand behind her.  
  
"When I was young, I used to be terrified of these storms. I would hide in my parents bed until they were all through." He commented thoughtfully. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I am sure your parents loved that." She teased as he grinned.  
  
"Yes, I know that they simply *loved* it." He joked back, still gazing at the storm. They were silent for a few minutes, each one aware of the other's closeness.  
  
"But we've grown up." Her voice was soft as she said this.  
  
"We have. And changed." He murmured. She nodded. Both of them were aware that they were no longer talking about the storms.  
  
"Are you mad at me?" She asked suddenly. He smiled slightly.  
  
"No. I was never mad at *you*. I was mad at...Heidi, because she wasn't you. I was...hurt." He murmured, his breath teasing her hair. Hilde shivered.  
  
"I know. You made that quite clear." She murmured. He looked down, ashamed.  
  
"I should never have yelled at you like that. I had no right."  
  
"And what you said hurt me." She whispered.  
  
"It hurt both of us." Was his short answer. Hilde sighed and kept her eyes glued to the storm outside. Then, gentle arms were wrapped around her waist.  
  
"I missed you." He whispered, burying his face in her shoulder. Hilde stiffened in surprise and then relaxed.  
  
"You missed me?"  
  
"I missed having you to talk to and be nice to. It really wasn't the same after you left." He murmured. Hilde smiled bitterly.  
  
"I suppose beating the school-building up after every run-in with Heidi isn't normal." She murmured. He winced and his heart twisted.  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
"Meilei told me. And Isaac told her." Hilde explained, getting used to the warm arms around her.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot Meilei told you about that." He murmured, his eyes glued to her face. There was a long silence, in which more lightning danced around the sky in it's bright show, and thunder boomed.  
  
"I can still remember when you told me you never wanted to see me again." He stated slowly, pulling away slightly. Hilde looked ashamed.  
  
"I should have never said that." She whispered. He shook his head.  
  
"After what I did, you had every right." He muttered. Hilde looked down, the tears that had come so easily at the thought of him, now coming even faster.  
  
"You were right, though. I pushed you down, and you took me with you." She admitted. Kojii looked at her in astonishment.  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You know...somehow I knew that you weren't the Heidi I knew. I couldn't see how it was possible for you to change, just like that. You weren't the Heidi that I..." He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening at what he was about to admit. Hilde turned away from the window for the first time and gazed into his beautiful amber eyes.  
  
"That you what?" She asked slowly, urging him to answer. He blushed but made a decision right there.  
  
"The real Heidi wasn't the girl I wanted take with me into all that depression." He murmured. Hilde's eyes widened as Kojii pulled her closer.  
  
"It was you, Hilde. Heidi wasn't the one I loved. It was you. And it still is. It always has been." He stated. Hilde went weak from the shock and cocked her head cutely to the side, trying to piece together all the feelings that were rushing back into her body after so long.  
  
All the emotion that she had felt the day she left him, flooded back. The guilt of betraying her sister, the guilt of lying to him. The pain of leaving him with harsh words, the sorrow of her heart breaking in two. But this time, the overwhelming happiness and love that was slowly mending her heart and putting it back together, was there, too.  
  
"And I want to take you with me again, even if I have to drag you there, kicking and screaming. I lost you once, Hilde. I refuse to allow that to happen again, no matter who or what I have to face on the way." He murmured, his lips coming close to her ear, before laying tender kisses on her cheek. Hilde shuddered.  
  
"But Heidi..."  
  
"Heidi doesn't have anything to do with this anymore. It is you and me...only you and me." He stated, kissing the corner of her mouth. Hilde trembled more violently and her hands raised to clutch the front of his T- shirt.  
  
Then, his lips found hers and crushed them into a passionate, needy embrace. His arms pulled her closer and she moaned as his hands ran the length of his back.  
  
"But your...ex-fiancee." She murmured into his lips. He chuckled.  
  
"No longer has anything to do with this. I love you, Hilde. I always have." He muttered, kissing slowly down her neck. Hilde gasped.  
  
"Kojii." She whimpered. He smiled and pulled away, kissing her forehead in the process.  
  
"I love you, Hilde Hiiragizawa. I love you more than anything."  
  
"Especially old school buildings?" She teased. Kojii growled and pressed his lips to hers, something she enjoyed immensely.  
  
"Even above my old sparring buddy, the brick wall of the school-building." He joked back, pulling her into yet another kiss, this one far more fervent than the rest.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Amethyst eyes opened to see dewy sunlight streaming into the room. Raindrops covered the windows, and shone like jewels against the bright light. A slight smile came to raspberry lips as the world became more in- focus.  
  
Hilde could feel the silky satin sheets caressing her skin, and the warm, downy blankets covering her, but the thing that she felt most was the body next to her and the arms around her waist. Hilde turned slowly, as to not wake Kojii, and gazed into his face. He was ruggedly handsome while awake, but almost innocently cute while asleep. His messy chestnut colored hair fell into his eyes, making him seem like a little boy, and his cheeks were slightly flushed with sleep. Best of all, was the small smile on his lips.  
  
Gently, Hilde pushed a strand of his hair out of his eyes, blushing as she remembered the events of the past night. If you had told her that she would be here with Kojii, about two weeks ago, she would have denied it fervently. But now, she wondered how she had ever lived without him.  
  
"Enjoying the view?" Came a deep, laughing voice. Hilde jumped as her eyes flew back to his open amber ones, still laced with sleep. Hilde allowed herself to grin.  
  
"Yes, in fact, I am." She murmured. He laughed and pulled her into a kiss. It was then that they heard the door of Hilde's room being opened, and by the time they managed to untangle themselves from each other, two small forms had jumped onto the bed with them.  
  
"See, Ying! I told you he was here!" Akito laughed, jumping on his highly embarrassed cousin. Ying-fa climbed into the lap of the mortified Hilde and smiled up at her sweetly.  
  
"I love Uncle Kojii, and I love you, Miss Hilde. Are you getting married?" The little girl asked bluntly. Hilde and Kojii blushed brilliant red and Kojii was quick to subdue his cousins...for a while.  
  
"Now listen, you two. I don't want anyone but us to know that I was in this room with Hilde. This is our secret, all right?" He asked. The twins nodded readily, glad to have some sort of secret with their beloved cousin and teacher.  
  
"Do you love each other?" Ying-fa asked softly. Hilde smiled.  
  
"Yes. How did you know?"  
  
"Grandma and mommy talk about it all the time. They say if Uncle Kojii doesn't marry you, he's a fool." Akito stated.  
  
"What's a fool?" Ying-fa added, tilting her head slightly. Both older people blushed again.  
  
"I will be one if I don't ask Hilde to marry me, apparently." Kojii teased.  
  
"Uncle Kojii, why were you in Miss Hilde's bed?" Ying-fa asked innocently. Kojii choked on his laughter, and Hilde threw him a glare.  
  
"I got scared of the storm, and Kojii came in to protect me." She winked at the twins as she said this, and their eyes grew wide.  
  
"You're a hero, Uncle Kojii!" Akito cried, jumping on his cousin's bare chest. Kojii was still laying down, and the boy had taken to sitting there, quite happily.  
  
"I suppose I am." He grinned, looking at Hilde. She nodded mock-sternly.  
  
"You are. You are my hero, now and forever."  
  
This caused bright laughter to emit from both of the twins in their delight.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"YOU SLEPT WITH MY BROTHER?!?!" Meilei shrieked two days later, when Hilde got up enough courage to tell her what had happened. Hilde winced at her friend's tone and Akane giggled lightly.  
  
"I...we...um...if I say no, will you stop yelling?"  
  
"NO! Hill, that was so...wrong! And with my brother, for Kami-sama's sake! That is such a bad mental image!" Meilei cried, collapsing on the couch. Hilde hit her in the face with a pillow.  
  
"Meilei, you have a funny mind. I thought you were 100 percent for this." Akane stated, calmly going back to reading her magazine.  
  
"Mei, I love Kojii, yes, I'll admit it. And I don't regret anything." Hilde murmured, blushing.  
  
"Does anyone but us and the twins know?" Mei asked suddenly. Hilde shook her head.  
  
"Good. The Elders would have a field day if they found out...and don't even get me started on the gossip columns!" Mei groaned. Hilde flinched.  
  
"She's right, you know. If the media found out about this, you'd be history, Hilde. And you hate attention, so you had best hope the twins know how to keep a secret." Akane murmured. Mei groaned and buried her face in her hands.  
  
"We're ruined! The twins couldn't keep a secret even if they had a firing brigade of highly-armed men, ready to shoot missiles at them!" She groaned. Hilde laughed.  
  
"They've kept it so far. Though the looks they send me while I'm teaching them *do* get a little annoying after a while." Hilde giggled.  
  
"And Kojii? How's he taking it?"  
  
"Oh, I stay after to correct papers and such. He just happens to loose something on that floor and comes to visit me. We talk..."  
  
"Plus a lot more, eh?" Akane teased. Hilde blushed.  
  
"Not usually." She admitted, turning even redder. The other two girls gave loud 'ohhhs!', and insisted that Hilde tell them everything. Hilde groaned as her friends closed in.  
  
It was going to be a long evening!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I'M GETTING MARRIED!"  
  
"Hilde slept with Kojii!"  
  
"*WHAT?!?!?!*"  
  
Meilei grinned as Heidi's scream echoed over the line.  
  
"So...what were you saying about getting married?" Meilei asked offhandedly. Heidi whimpered angrily, as if she was wishing she could kill something.  
  
"My sister did what, Meilei?" Heidi asked in a dangerous voice. Meilei winced and immediately wished she could take back what she had said.  
  
"Um...Hilde and Kojii..."  
  
"I know! I heard! But...why? My sister...with that...that...with your brother!" Heidi gasped breathlessly. Meilei heard a thump and guessed that Heidi had collapsed into a chair.  
  
"Hilde tried to hide the fact...for your sake. But they have had this off- and-on, love-hate thing going on since you two switched places."  
  
"Tell me everything." Heidi murmured weakly. Meilei smiled.  
  
"Kojii gained strong feelings for Hilde while she was pretending to be you. She didn't know. She thought he was just being overly friendly. But she realized that she couldn't leave Japan, unless she broke off all pleasant ties to him. So she rejected Kojii on the day before she came home. But Heidi...she was in love with him then, I'm almost sure of it."  
  
"And?" Heidi's voice was pleading.  
  
"It nearly killed them both."  
  
"No! How could Hilde not tell me this? How could she let that eat away at her?" Heidi whimpered.  
  
"She didn't want you angry with her. She also didn't think she would ever see him again. But that all changed when she was offered the job at the Li home. She and Kojii bashed heads for a while...but then they started becoming...friendlier...after Kojii broke off his engagement."  
  
"And it escalated, I take it?"  
  
"Oh, yes. There was a huge storm last week, and Hilde was forced to stay with them. From what I can get out of Hilde, she was watching the storm, he came in to check on her and then..."  
  
"Stop! No more. Next topic. I am going to have a long chat with my sister, as soon as she gets home." Heidi sighed. Meilei smiled.  
  
"So what is this about you getting married?" She asked. Heidi gave a squeal.  
  
"Hiro proposed! He came down to visit yesterday, took me out to dinner, and then he proposed!"  
  
"How?" Meilei asked eagerly. Heidi laughed happily.  
  
"He slipped the ring around the stem of a flower on my cake, and then gave it to me. And then he took me to the hotel he was staying at and..." Heidi trailed off, and Meilei realized what she had almost said.  
  
"Oh! And you lecture Hilde about sleeping with my brother. I am going to tell her!" Meilei laughed.  
  
"She already knows. I called her on her cell-phone before I called you. But I must say, this call was much more interesting." Heidi admitted. Meilei had to agree.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Heidi spent all of last night lecturing me about...us." Hilde sighed, burying her head in her hands. Kojii, who was sitting next to her, smiled and placed a comforting arm around her waist. They were in the school room, and Kojii had taken another opportunity to visit her.  
  
"She has no room to talk. Hiro called me last night and told me...everything." He chuckled. Hilde smiled.  
  
"They are happy, I can tell. And I am so happy for her." Hilde commented, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Did you hear? Isaac is coming down here next week to surprise Meilei. He is dragging Luke along with him." Kojii informed her. Hilde's eyes began to sparkle.  
  
"He and Akane would make a great couple."  
  
"You know, I think you're right." He laughed.  
  
"Heidi told me that Bailey is in love." Hilde said hesitantly, after a while.  
  
"Oh? With whom?"  
  
"Seamus."  
  
"SEAMUS? AS IN MY COUSIN, SEAMUS?" Kojii shouted, causing her to jump. She giggled and nodded.  
  
"That would be the one. Yuki has been dating Seamus's younger sister, Mirah for a while, so I suppose it is all right."  
  
"But he's...four years older than her!"  
  
"And you are two years older than me. It is not that much of a difference." Hilde reminded him. Kojii sighed and then pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair.  
  
"We have weird families."  
  
"You've got that right!" Hilde laughed, as he growled and lowered his lips for a kiss.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
And now for the description of my 'idea' story, as I will call it for now. It doesn't have a name yet, but it is copyrighted, as you will see below.  
  
***It starts out with Kinomoto Sakura's family finding out that she is fully deaf, soon after she is born. A few years later, her older brother, Touya, becomes friends with three foreign boys, Yukito, Hiiragizawa Eriol, and Li Syaoran (yeah, I know it's a little out of character, but it will eventually work out). At first, Touya is horribly embarrassed about having Sakura 'hang' around with him and his friends. While Eriol could care less, Yukito takes pity on her and allows her to tag along with him. Syaoran, too, doesn't seem to have any problems with her hanging around. Touya eventually becomes used to it, though.  
  
While she is still small, Sakura finds herself a best friend in Daidouji Tomoyo. But as they grow older, Tomoyo becomes humiliated by Sakura's strange ways, and eventually strays away and avoids Sakura to the best of her ability.  
  
It is mostly a story about Sakura's struggles, and her overcoming her them, only to fall helplessly in love with one of her brother's best friends, and have Tomoyo 'steal' him away. But is it really too late for them? And is there also hope in the distance for the one thing Sakura has ever wished for? Her hearing?*** ©  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	14. All hope is lost, when you are gone

JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 13.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"What game are we playing today?" Ying-fa asked, plopping down on the cushions in the pavilion. Hilde looked up from helping Xiaolong with a history problem and smiled.  
  
"As soon as we're done here, we will play Hide-and-seek. How's that?" She asked. The girl gave a delighted squeal and wiggled eagerly in her seat until Hilde was done helping her cousin. Then Hilde called the other children over (they had all been scattered around the gardens, doing their schoolwork), and they began the game.  
  
First it was Chang's turn to hide, while the others tried to find him. But the rule to this game was, if you found the person, you hid with them until the very last person found you all. The person who discovered you last, was the next to hide.  
  
Hilde sat and watched as first Deluce, then Ying-fa, then Xiaolong found Chang. Akito was the last, and he delightedly hid from the rest. The game went on, until Deluce suggested something else.  
  
"Miss Hilde, it is your turn to hide!" She called, as Ying-fa giggled eagerly and pulled their teacher out of her seat. Hilde laughed and agreeably went to hide. She found a place near the edge of the gardens, behind a large snow-ball plant.  
  
(a/n: Snowball plants have huge, ball-like clusters of tiny white flowers)  
  
Hilde heard someone approaching and smiled to herself, wondering who it was. But her delight was short-lived.  
  
A hand came out and clamped over her mouth tightly. Another hand twisted her right arm cruelly behind her back and held her tightly against her assailant. Hilde tried to struggle, but the hand covering her mouth suddenly let go, and before she could even scream, something hit her at the base of her neck, and everything went black.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"KOJII! KOJII, COME QUICK!!!" Chang shouted, his voice panicked. Kojii, who had been calmly waiting for Hilde to come back to the school-room, got up in alarm and raced for where the boy's voice had last been heard.  
  
"PLEASE! SOMEONE, *HELP*!!! UNCLE KOJII!!!" Came Deluce's scream. Kojii turned down the garden pathway, and rushed into the clearing where the pavilion was. The five children stood there, their eyes wide with fear and horror.  
  
"What's wrong?!" Kojii shouted, as Ying-fa threw herself, sobbing, into his arms.  
  
"We...Miss Hilde was kidnapped!" Deluce wailed, throwing herself into her mother's arms, as Yelan and her daughter's appeared in the pathway.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"We...we saw a man...a big man...carrying her away. She was limp...I don't think she was conscious." Chang whispered. Kojii's heart pounded in fear, and his hands that were holding Ying-fa, shook.  
  
"Which way did the man go?" Yelan asked calmly, though there were tears in her eyes. Chang pointed towards the north end of the property and Yelan nodded.  
  
"Siefa, go inside and call the police. Fanren, call Meilei and have her and her roommate come down here immediately. Fuutie, call Hilde's parents. Feimei, take the children to my sitting room." Yelan commanted. The four daughters did as they were told, and soon Kojii and Yelan were alone.  
  
"I am going to alert the Elders. Kojii, I want you to stay here..."  
  
"I am going to find her." He hissed in a dry voice, turning on her. Yelan frowned.  
  
"You will stay here, Kojii. There is nothing you can do, and you wouldn't be able to help, anyway. It is obvious that you hardly know which way is up." Yelan said in a stony voice, taking his arm. Kojii blankly allowed her to pull him back inside.  
  
He had no energy to fight. The shock was too great.  
  
The only woman he had ever loved had been taken from him again.  
  
And Kojii had never felt so alone.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh, god! NO!" Tomoyo cried out, collapsing into a chair and allowing the phone to fall to the floor. She had just received Fuutie's call, and it had come as a horrible shock.  
  
"Mom? MOM! What's wrong?" Yuki shouted, as he appeared on the stairwell, his eyes wide. He rushed down the steps and pulled his sobbing mother into his arms.  
  
"What's wrong? What is it?" Mirah called, rushing into the hall. She and Yuki had been doing some homework together, when Tomoyo's cry had interrupted them.  
  
"Hilde. Hilde!" Was all Tomoyo could say, before she dissolved into uncontrolled sobs. Yuki looked alarmed.  
  
"Mirah, call that number back and find out what's wrong." He commanded. The red-haired young woman did as she was told and quickly got the information from an anxious Fuutie. Then the poor girl hung up, her hands limp, her face pale.  
  
"Yuki...Hilde was kidnapped." She said weakly. Yuki nearly dropped his mother and turned horrified eyes to his girl-friend.  
  
"WHAT? CALL DAD! HURRY!" He shouted wildly. Mirah nodded and quickly called Eriol, who took the news well, considering the circumstances. He promised to come directly home, and bring Touya and Tyson with him. Then Eriol told the girl to find her mother and to call Naoko to come over and comfort Tomoyo until he could be there.  
  
By the time he got home, not only were they there, but also Heidi, Hiro, Bailey, Seamus and Tara, who had been out with them. Milly had also arrived home soon after they had received the news, and she was found to be cradling a distraught Tomoyo in her arms, when Eriol came into the sitting room.  
  
"Tomoyo." He said lowly, pulling his wife close. Tomoyo turned and cried into his shirt, as he carefully sat down on the couch, and cradled her close.  
  
"Now, do they have any idea who might have kidnapped her?" Eriol asked weakly. Heidi, who held her cell-phone in her hand, shook her head.  
  
"They don't have any leads...but I may." She murmured. Hiro tightened his grip around her waist as she began to tremble.  
  
"Mom, you have told us about that man who...tried to take advantage of you. What was his name again?" She asked. Tomoyo whimpered.  
  
"Robert. Robert Roderick." Eriol filled in. Heidi caught her breath and closed her eyes, as if in pain.  
  
"According to Meilei Li, her brother, Kojii Li, was going to be forced into marriage to a *Shayla Roderick*." Heidi stated. Tomoyo caught her breath and turned wide, red-rimed eyes towards her daughter. Eriol too, looked up in confusion.  
  
"And?" He prompted.  
  
"Apparently, Kojii broke off the engagement for...personal reasons. But if his ex-fiancee was related in any way to your *Robert Roderick*, there could be a possibility that he would become...angered by this."  
  
"Why is that?" Yuki asked slowly. Heidi rolled her eyes in exasperation.  
  
"Oh for Kami-sama's sake! Kojii Li has been...close to Hilde lately! And with that knowledge, Shayla could have taken that as a reason why Kojii broke off the engagement! And according to Meilei, the girl was rather...fond of Kojii, so this would make her horribly jealous. Add a father or relative who has something against our family already, and you have the makings for trouble." Heidi said in a tired voice. Tomoyo choked in shock, and Eriol closed his eyes as he realized that this was a good possibility. Then his eyes flew back open.  
  
"Wait a moment. How 'close' has this young man been to Hilde?" He asked with a sudden awareness. Tomoyo and Heidi shared a 'look'.  
  
"It is a long story." Tomoyo whispered.  
  
"So that is why Kojii was punching the school-building that time!" Hiro suddenly announced, forgetting what he might be letting out. Heidi groaned and buried her head in her hands as Eriol turned wide eyes on him.  
  
"Well, they said it was a *long* story." Hiro said ashamedly.  
  
"We have to call Yelan. She'll need to know this so she can tell the police." Eriol stated. Heidi nodded and dialed the well-known number on her phone.  
  
"Milly, will you arrange for us *all* to get plane tickets on the next flight to Hong-Kong? I have a feeling we are going to be needed. Milly sighed.  
  
"I already did. We have to wait five days." She sighed, shoulders slumped. The group groaned and Eriol frowned.  
  
"Did you book seats?"  
  
"For every one of us."  
  
"Good. Everyone, be packed by then." Eriol commanded.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
As she returned to consciousness, Hilde groaned as a sharp pain filled her neck. Hilde blinked slowly, then blinked again. She was in a dark room, and it was too dark to tell exactly what it looked like.  
  
Hilde whimpered and tried to move, but she found that her hands were tied together and then tied to something above her head, while her ankles were tethered to something else below her. She could feel vaguely that she was on a bed, but she couldn't tell anything else.  
  
Again she whimpered, as she began to remember what had happened. The garden, the game, the children laughing, Deluce's suggestion that she hide, the snow-ball plant...the person grabbing her...then, nothing.  
  
"Ahh. You are awake." A sickly-smooth voice murmured from the dark. Hilde gasped. A light came on and the small room in which she was being held was revealed, along with the talker.  
  
"Mr. Roderick!" Hilde choked out, her eyes welling with tears. He gave her a bitter smirk.  
  
"Yes." He murmured silkily. Hilde winced.  
  
"Why?" She asked softly. He smirked.  
  
"Your father took the one thing that ever truly belonged to me, away. Tomoyo was mine. MINE! I could have had her if he hadn't stolen her away. But now I have you. You have no idea how much you are like her." He hissed. Hilde shuddered.  
  
"My twin sister is more like her than me." She whispered. For a moment, he froze, then smirked again, his fists clenching slightly.  
  
"No. You are more like her than you know. Or perhaps you are right. Perhaps you are more like your father." He said roughly. Hilde frowned slightly. He was treating this as if it were a real conversation, and not a kidnapping situation.  
  
"How so?" She asked shakily. He smiled, and it made Hilde think of something rotting.  
  
"He took your mother away from me. And now, you've taken my daughter's fiancee away from her." He murmured. Hilde gasped.  
  
"What do you mean? I thought you loved my mother. If that is true, how could you have a daughter?" At her words, he gave her a deadly glare.  
  
"I got married, silly girl. I may not *love* the woman, but she suits me fine. She gives me what I want, and I return the favor. She was also cheated by your father, you know." He murmured. Hilde shivered at the implications of his words.  
  
"How is that possible?"  
  
"My wife loved your father, but he threw her away and then stole your mother from me." He hissed. Hilde winced.  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
"Her name was Kaho Mizuki...now Kaho Roderick." He murmured. Hilde choked back another gasp. Her father had mentioned that woman once...and he hadn't spoken kindly about her. Apparently she had worked for Hilde's father and tried to get him in bed with her, even after he was engaged to her mother. Hilde wrinkled her nose at this.  
  
"Serves her right." She said in a low voice. But he heard her and chuckled.  
  
"You *are* like your mother. The moment I saw you I knew it. You look so much like her." He whispered, trailing a finger down her cheek. Hilde recoiled from this touch, but he moved closer, his other hand running the length of her arm.  
  
"You are so beautiful...like her. You are irresistible." He murmured, his leering face coming closer. Hilde let out a strangled scream and struggled against her bindings.  
  
"Don't touch me!" She shrieked. He snickered.  
  
"Are you sure it should be you giving the orders, dear girl? Last time I checked, it was you who was tied to the bed, not I." He chuckled, his lips coming dangerously close to her neck.  
  
"You are married!" She cried.  
  
"I don't love her, and she knows it."  
  
"You don't love me."  
  
"But I do. You are the epitome of your mother. And you will probably feel just like she did in my arms." He murmured, his arms sliding around her waist. Hilde's eyes were filled with terrified tears and she prayed for someone to interfere...anyone!  
  
"Papa? Papa, are you done yet? Mother says the police are onto us. We'd better kill her, quick!" Came a voice from outside the door. Hilde whimpered and Robert growled.  
  
"The police? How could they possibly have known?" He hissed, letting Hilde go and seemingly forgetting her as he walked out of the room.  
  
"We're not going to kill her. We still need her." He hissed to his irate daughter. She growled.  
  
"I want her DEAD! She took my Kojii away from me, and she needs to pay!" Shayla spat, as Robert slammed the door behind them.  
  
Hilde lay, trembling, in the bed. Her amethyst eyes were wide and soft sobs were emitting from her plum lips as she struggled to think of a way to get out of this.  
  
'Kojii, help me!' Was her last thought, as her senses swam and she blacked out.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So Heidi is sure that it was this Robert Roderick who did it?" Yelan asked tensely.  
  
It had been over a week since Hilde had disappeared, but there was still no trace of the girl. The police had questioned the Rodericks, but had found nothing amiss in what they had to say. Some of the Rodericks' friends had even claimed that they had been at a party the day that Hilde had disappeared, and had shown sufficient evidence of the fact.  
  
"She's positive. And I, knowing Robert, would not put it past him. Even my mother was fooled about his character." Tomoyo sighed. She and the rest of the England group had arrived two days before, and were helping in the extensive search for Hilde Hiiragizawa.  
  
"MOTHER! YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT WE'VE FOUND!" Yuki shouted, rushing into the room with a sheaf of papers clutched in his hand. Yuki had been assisting some of the family members, in looking for more information about the Rodericks.  
  
"What?" Tomoyo asked, jumping out of her seat in her anxiousness. Yuki brandished the papers under her nose.  
  
"Robert Roderick is married to someone that you have talked about before. A Kaho Mizuki-Roderick. Are they the same woman?" He asked eagerly. Tomoyo turned pale and dropped into her chair again, tears falling from her eyes.  
  
"Yet another reason for them to kidnap Hilde." Eriol sighed, as he entered the room, putting his arms around his distraught wife.  
  
"We have plenty of evidence. Why don't they just go in there and arrest them?" Yuki shouted in anger. Yelan sighed.  
  
"It is not that easy, Yuki. This is evidence based on reasons for them to kidnap her. But it does not prove anything. Until we find some actual proof, there can be no arrest."  
  
"BUT THEY HAVE MY SISTER! SHE COULD BE DEAD...OR WORSE. I WANT TO SEE SOME ACTION!" He shouted in anguish. Mirah, who had come in a few moments before, put her arms around his waist and held him close, as his hot tears leaked into the shoulder of her shirt.  
  
"He's right. We can't just sit here, waiting for something to happen. This is crazy. We've been looking for her for over a week, and there is still no news. And no real suspects." Meilei sighed, collapsing into a chair as she entered. Isaac came in behind her and put an arm around her shoulders.  
  
"How is Kojii?" Yelan asked suddenly, as Sakura and Syaoran entered the room. Sakura's emerald eyes had lost their sparkle, and Syaoran looked angrier and graver than ever before.  
  
"He locked himself into his room and he won't come out. He blames himself." Sakura sighed as her husband squeezed her shoulder.  
  
"For what?" Mirah asked.  
  
"For allowing this to happen. Kojii may be detached, but he still cares about anyone who works for him." Syaoran commented. At this, Meilei snorted, and then remembered that no one knew what had really been going on between Kojii and Hilde...not even their parents or Yelan.  
  
"I'm going to go talk to him." Meilei sighed. Sakura shook her head.  
  
"No, Mei. He needs some time alone."  
  
"NO, mama! He needs comfort. You wouldn't understand." Meilei cried, tears coming to her eyes as she rushed from the room. Everyone looked after her in surprise.  
  
"What was that all about?" Isaac asked.  
  
"I'm sure she's just upset about Hilde's...disappearance." Sakura assured, shooting a sad look after her daughter.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"They've still found nothing." Meilei sighed, as she walked into Kojii's room. She had had to pick the lock on his door, but she had managed.  
  
Kojii didn't respond. He was lying on his massive bed, eyes blankly staring at the ceiling. Meilei sighed.  
  
"What would Hilde think if she saw you like this?" She asked. This caused him to flinch, and Meilei knew that she had hit a nerve.  
  
"She would think that you were lazy and didn't care about her. You're not even helping us look for her! For Kami-sama's sake, Kojii, do something! You can't just let it eat away at you!" Meilei hissed. Kojii didn't respond again, and Meilei's eye twitched. Yes, she was like her mother, and like her mother, she could get in a violent mood, if the opportunity presented itself; and it had.  
  
"GET UP, YOU NINNY! HILDE NEEDS YOU! SHE NEEDS YOU MOST! FOR KAMI-SAMA'S SAKE! GET OUT THERE AND DO SOMETHING. SHE *NEEDS* YOU!" Meilei shrieked, shaking her brother. Kojii was rocked violently back and forth and his eyes cleared, becoming angry.  
  
"Go away, Meilei Li! If I hadn't show partiality to Hilde, this never would have happened! No one would have thought her a threat, and she wouldn't have been kidnapped. This *is* my fault, and don't you say otherwise!" He hissed, his amber eyes flaring. Meilei's eyes widened at the stupidity of her brother, and then her emerald eyes flashed with fire.  
  
"YOU LOVE HER, YOU A** HOLE! GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF! YOU LOVE HER MORE THEN LIFE ITSELF, AND YOU KNOW IT! NOW GET YOUR STUPID BUTT OUT OF BED, AND PROVE TO HER HOW MUCH YOU LOVE HER, BY LOOKING FOR HER!" She screamed, her face turning red with the force. Kojii stared at his sister, wide eyed.  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
"Oh, shut it! It took me a while, but I managed to get it out of Hilde what had happened the night she stayed over. *I* was the one who told Heidi."  
  
"I thought it was strange, that Heidi knew." He groaned. Meilei smiled.  
  
"I don't mind, Koj. I love Hilde like a sister...and if it had to be anyone, I am glad it is her. But it won't be her if we can't *find* her. That is why you need to help us. Kojii, don't let her go now. Not after all this. Not after everything you went through to get her back." Meilei murmured. Kojii sighed and nodded.  
  
"What can I do?"  
  
"The police-chief needs someone to head the search-and-rescue team. If they were to find Hilde, at least you would be the first to know. Heck, you might even be the first to see her." Meilei stated. Kojii's eyes brightened and he nodded.  
  
"I'll do that. If Hilde is found...alive..." Kojii gulped at this, and tried to hide the sudden mist in his eyes.  
  
"...if she is found, I want to be the one to be there." He announced, getting up. Meilei smiled and put her arm around his waist.  
  
"That's my brother."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"She's been gone almost three weeks." Heidi moaned, collapsing in a chair with tears in her eyes. Hiro moved behind her and gently began to massage her shoulders.  
  
"We will find her, Heidi. Now that Kojii is working with the search-and- rescue teams, I am sure that it is just a matter of time." He murmured into her ear. Heidi shivered in delight, but groaned.  
  
"I still can't believe that my sister fell for that...that... cocky, arrogant, son-of-a-b**ch..."  
  
"Heidi! That's my best friend that you're talking about...and your sister's lover." Hiro grinned as he said this, and Heidi groaned.  
  
"I still don't know how you put up with him." She sighed. He laughed weakly.  
  
"Hilde sees in Kojii, what I saw in Kojii. A boy, trying to live a normal life, despite the high rank of his family. He just wanted someone to understand him...and though I still don't sometimes, I can tell that Hilde does. They are sort of... kindred spirits, in a way." He murmured, burying his face in Heidi's fragrant hair. She laughed.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Kojii needed someone to calm him down. Hilde needed someone to bring her out of her shell. Kojii needed to feel...understood, and so did Hilde. See?" He tried. Heidi smiled weakly.  
  
"A little." She murmured, snuggling into his arms.  
  
"Heidi! HEIDI!" Came Bailey's shout. The said girl came skidding into the room, her eyes excited.  
  
"The police just called! They may have a lead!"  
  
Heidi and Hiro looked at each other, wide eyed, and then all three of them bolted out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	15. Safe at last

Daphne: I'VE FINALLY POSTED AGAIN! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Anyway, I hope you're feeling as happy as I am. I'm sorry I haven't posted for so long (I had a little writer's block, but after working on my Harry Potter fic, I managed to get some inspiration. Enjoy!!!!!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 14.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Hilde whimpered as she writhed against her bonds for the umpteenth time that day. Every day, the bonds became looser, and her wrists became rawer. A little trickle of blood had oozed out of a cut in her wrists from the ropes, but Hilde paid no heed.  
  
Since the day Robert had 'visited' her, she had not seen him again. Instead, a frightened servant woman would bring her meals every day, and make sure she was still alive. She never spoke a word to Hilde, and just ignored her.  
  
Hilde, however, was starting to wish she *was* dead. She felt dirty and her hair hadn't been washed or cared for in days, causing her to feel even more dingy. Her wrists and ankles ached, and headaches came frequently. She was forced to use the restroom in a little pan that was placed under her, something utterly humiliating for her. Sometimes she could even hear the voices of the children, her family, Meilei, Akane, and Kojii, tormenting her to tears. Other times, the silence would nearly deafen her, and she would find herself singing softly, to lessen the effects.  
  
She didn't know how long she had been there, or how long she would have to stay. But she knew that she had to get away. Somehow.  
  
"Hurry! Check in there!"  
  
Hilde's heart jumped in fear as a foreign voice rang out just beyond the door of her prison. She couldn't tell if they were friend or foe, so she stayed still, her eyes wide with fear. The handle of the door was rattled, and Hilde bit back a scream.  
  
"This door's locked! Someone get me a screwdriver!"  
  
Hilde choked on her breath as this familiar voice reached her ears. Wishing it could be true, but doubting her hearing, Hilde lay still, her heart pounding in hope.  
  
"Almost there...done!"  
  
The door was flung open and it struck the wall behind it with a resounding *thud*. A sob filled Hilde's chest as the most wonderful sight in the world met her eyes.  
  
Kojii Li stood in the doorway, unshaved, hair ruffled, clothes rumpled, and his amber eyes filled with so many emotions, she could not read them.  
  
"HILDE!" His voice was no higher than a breath, but it seemed like he had shouted the name. In three quick strides, he had his arms around her prostrate body, as two other men cut the bindings on her hands and ankles.  
  
As soon as her hands were free, Hilde clutched to Kojii, her finger-nails biting into the skin on his back; he didn't seem to notice this, though. He was sitting on the bed, gently rocking her back and forth, whispering incoherent things into her ear, and kissing her forehead, eyelids, cheeks, lips, neck.  
  
Hilde sobbed in relief and clutched him close, her mind too muddled to understand or really care about what was going on around her. Her hands found his silky chestnut locks and her fingers delighted themselves with running through the familiar, comforting hair. Her face was buried in his neck, her tears falling against his skin.  
  
She was back where she belonged.  
  
She was back with her Kojii.  
  
She was home.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kojii couldn't remember anything from the last hour, besides the moments after he had found his love, and had held her in his arms. He had only regained his sense of memory, after they had arrived at the hospital and Hilde had been taken out of his arms, put onto a stretcher, and rolled away into the emergency room.  
  
He was now sitting in the deathly quiet waiting room, anxiously waiting for news. He had violently argued with the doctors about taking her out of his sight, but they had been insistent upon it, telling him that they had to make sure she was going to be all right. This had brought him back to reality enough, to realize that Hilde was not out of danger yet.  
  
He sat with his head in his hands, fingers tangled in his hair. He ignored the curious looks he got from the nurses and the other people in the room, and simply sat un-moving, his amber eyes shut.  
  
The police chief had promised to call his family, to tell them that Hilde had been found. When the news had come from a frightened, un-identified person, that they had seen a girl fitting Hilde's description, being taken into a home nearby, the entire search-and-rescue team had been alerted and called to the house.  
  
And, like the person had said, Hilde was there.  
  
In a run-down house.  
  
With no one else around.  
  
Tied to a bed.  
  
The woman he loved had been tied to a bed, alone, in a house that could have toppled over at any moment.  
  
"Sir? Mr. Li?"  
  
Kojii's head jerked up, and he stared at the man that now stood in the doorway.  
  
"The young lady, Miss Hiiragizawa, is going to be just fine." The man announced. Kojii felt something close to elation rise in his chest and his amber eyes filled with hope.  
  
"May I see her?"  
  
"Are you a family-member?" The doctor asked, eyeing him. Kojii winced.  
  
"I am...her boyfriend." He murmured. The doctor smiled and nodded.  
  
"All right, then. She has been put into room one-thirty-two. She is asleep, so try not to wake her." The doctor murmured. All this time, his eyes were searching Kojii's face, as though trying to find something.  
  
"Excuse me for asking sir, but you seem familiar. Have you ever been here before?" The doctor asked. Kojii smiled and began to walk towards the man. He put a hand on the doctor's shoulder and grinned.  
  
"All I will say is this: if this girl is well and healed in as short a time as possible, the Li clan will be eternally grateful to you." He murmured, before continuing on his way down the hall.  
  
He never noticed the shocked and delighted faces of all who had been in that waiting room. But he did *hear* one thing, before he got out of hearing distance.  
  
"We just met one of the Li's!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kojii quietly opened the door of Hilde's room, and entered, his eyes only seeing the still figure on the bed.  
  
Hilde's wrists had been bandaged, and it looked as though she had been given a bath. Her hair was fluffy, and fell in waves against the white hospital pillow. Her skin was back to it's peaches and cream color, and her cheeks were flushed red with sleep.  
  
Kojii smiled tenderly down at her, and pulled a chair up close to the edge of the bed, where he could hold her hand. His thumb made gentle circles on the back of her hand, as his amber eyes gazed at her sleeping face, intently. A small smile appeared on his lips as his thoughts wondered to their reunion, only hours before, and how everyone would probably react to the news.  
  
The door opened behind him, and Kojii turned to see a blushing older woman, dressed in a nurse's uniform, come into the room. She smiled shyly at Kojii, and then quickly set a tray on the table next to him.  
  
"This is for her, when she wakes up, Mr. Li." The woman whispered. Kojii smiled. Obviously news traveled fast in this hospital. He watched as the nurse moved about the room, straightening this and moving that. Then she turned on the TV that hung in the corner and turned to smile at him.  
  
"I thought perhaps you would like to see the news." The woman murmured, before hurrying from the room. Kojii smiled at the woman's nervousness and then turned his attention towards the newscast.  
  
"...home. Roderick, his wife, and his daughter were all arrested and taken in for questioning. Miss Hiiragizawa was taken to Hong Kong International Hospital, where she is in stable condition. It is not known how Miss Hiiragizawa was treated during her abduction, but the Rodericks are being charged for..."  
  
Kojii looked away, his heart falling. He had not realized until now that Hilde may have been taken advantage of, or even worse. Hilde had seemed all right, but in her agitated state, it was hard to tell if she had been hurt any worse than the obvious. Kojii looked back at the TV and listened carefully to the broadcast.  
  
Suddenly, a gentle hand rested on top of his, and Kojii looked down to see Hilde smiling up at him, her amethyst eyes glowing with the old happiness that always seemed to be there. Kojii's breath caught and he gazed over her face, as if to see if she had been hurt any more.  
  
"Kojii?"  
  
"Did they hurt you?" He whispered. Hilde's face lost it's smile and she closed her eyes tightly.  
  
"Mr. Roderick tried to. He...told me I looked like mother and I probably felt like her too. I think he was going to..." She trailed off as Kojii's hand clutched hers harder, and his eyes became steely. His face became void of all joy, and his teeth clenched.  
  
"...but his daughter came and told him to kill me. They left...and I didn't see them again." She murmured, her hand reassuringly stroking his. He looked down at her and pulled her hand up to his cheek, holding it there.  
  
"He didn't hurt you?"  
  
"No. I was only tied to the bed, and a lady came in and fed me. How long was I in there?" She asked gently. Kojii sighed.  
  
"Just over three weeks." He murmured. Hilde closed her eyes, as if in pain, and let out a quivering sigh.  
  
"I suppose my family knows." She whispered. He nodded.  
  
"They came as quickly as they could and have been searching for you ever since. Your mother has been in tears most of the time, and your sister couldn't even find it in her heart to argue with me. Hiro has spent most of his time trying to keep her from going hysterical." Kojii laughed. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I suppose they will be here soon?" She asked, almost pleadingly. Kojii smiled.  
  
"They will." He murmured, leaning down and kissing her lips. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I missed that most. I missed you." Was her whisper, just before his lips captured hers again.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Miss Hilde!"  
  
"We missed you so much!"  
  
"I was so scared!"  
  
"Are you feeling better?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
This last comment, made by Ying-fa, was accompanied by a big hug. This was the first time the children had been allowed to visit Hilde in the hospital, and they were making the best of it. Hilde smiled at their comments, and laughed as all of them tried to climb onto her bed.  
  
"Here." Xiaolong murmured, shoving a sheaf of lavender blossoms into her hands, blushing.  
  
"He picked them himself." Deluce announced, much to the boy's embarrassment. Hilde, however, smiled in delight and gently kissed Xiaolong's cheek, causing him to blush even redder, and the rest to laugh. Kojii stood in the background, smiling.  
  
"I made this for you, Ms. Hilde." Akito announced, plopping a drawing of what appeared to be a dinosaur, into her lap. Hilde thanked him and then laughed as a pile of other presents were added to it. Chang had brought her a tiny writing kit that he had made himself, Deluce had made several pretty hair-things and given them to her beloved teacher, and Ying-fa had made a necklace out of pansies. Hilde was delighted when Kojii insisted on putting them around her neck.  
  
"Thank you all. I missed you so much." Hilde murmured, pulling Akito into another hug. The little boy plopped into her lap and wrapped his arms around her neck.  
  
"Will you come back and teach us, soon?" He asked. Hilde smiled and nodded.  
  
"As soon as the doctors say I can leave." She murmured. Chang smiled.  
  
"Good. We have had the worst substitutes ever! They were even worse than our other teachers!" He groaned, wincing. Hilde and Kojii laughed and met each other's eyes.  
  
"Children, your visiting time is over." A nurse called, entering the room. There were loud complaints and pleas made, but the nurse simply shook her head and led the sad children out of the room.  
  
"Come home soon, Ms. Hilde." Akito called, as the door was shut behind the children. Tears rose to Hilde's eyes at the mention of 'home', and Kojii noticed.  
  
"They love you." He murmured. Hilde nodded, biting her lip.  
  
"But I can't be their teacher forever. I have to graduate." She whispered. Kojii nodded.  
  
"And you have a life after graduation planned, I'm sure." He whispered, his heart falling. Hilde smiled.  
  
"I plan to be a teacher."  
  
"Where?" Kojii's question caused her to freeze and loose her smile. She quickly turned to gaze at him, but he was looking out the window and wouldn't meet her eyes.  
  
"I am not sure, yet. Mother would like it if I could be in England...but since Heidi is going to be living in Japan, she wants me there with her." Hilde told him. Kojii winced and tried to keep the despair that was filling his heart, at bay.  
  
"Hilde...there is something I have to tell you." He murmured, still gazing out the window. Though he was trying desperately to hide it, Hilde felt his anguish. She sat up even higher in the bed and stared at him, wide eyed and pale.  
  
"What is the matter?" She whispered. He closed his eyes, as if trying to hide his inner pain.  
  
"The Elders...the Elders have announced that they wish me to continue on as the leader of the Li clan. Father...he loves his freedom too much, and the Elders want someone who is willing to stay put...at least for a little while longer. They have requested that I stay here...permanently." He murmured. Hilde gasped.  
  
"Permanently? But that would mean..." She trailed off, unable to continue. Kojii turned and looked at her, his heart clenching as he saw silent tears running down her porcelain cheeks. His heart pounded as he went over to her, taking her hands in his and rubbing them with his thumbs.  
  
"Stay with me. Please, Hilde. I can't...I need you." He whispered. Hilde looked at their clasped hands.  
  
"I'd have to think about it." She whispered. Kojii's eyes filled with pain.  
  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you. It is too much to ask you to stay in a place where you could never be happy. I'm sorry." He whispered. Hilde looked up.  
  
"No, Kojii! I am happy wherever you are. I can only be happy if I am with you. But...my family...I want to make them happy too." She whispered.  
  
"You would sacrifice your happiness for them?" He asked softly. She nodded.  
  
"I would do anything to make them happy, Kojii."  
  
"I love you, Hilde. But you are too caring sometimes." He whispered, throwing her a weak smile. Hilde sighed.  
  
"Don't tease me, Kojii. I...I don't want to leave, truly I don't. It would hurt so much." She whispered. Kojii moaned and kissed her hands, before reaching up and kissing her lips gently.  
  
"Life isn't fair." He murmured against her lips. She smiled weakly and returned his kiss, ignoring the tears that coursed down her cheeks.  
  
Neither of them knew that just beyond the door, two people listened to this, and their hearts sank.  
  
"We can't let this happen, Sakura! Hilde's been through too much pain already!" Tomoyo whimpered, turning away from the door. Sakura nodded.  
  
"Kojii has too. Tomoyo, we have to do something. Hilde can't leave here!" Sakura stated. Tomoyo nodded in agreement and the two women quickly went to tell their husbands of the latest development.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"What do you think?" Tomoyo asked, gazing into her husband's eyes. They were sitting in the room Yelan had given them during their stay, and discussing what to do about Hilde.  
  
"She loves it here. And she loves the children. And we *have* been thinking about moving back to Japan, to be closer to your mother...so why not just do that? We would be closer to Hilde *and* Heidi, we would be closer to your mother, Syaoran, and Sakura..."  
  
"But what about Naoko and Tyson?" Tomoyo asked. Eriol laughed.  
  
"Tyson has just bought a home in Tomeda, near your mother's home. He has been wanting to experience the 'Japanese' way of living, but he wasn't going to tell his wife just yet. He figured he would give her and the girl's a surprise." Eriol laughed.  
  
"And Touya?"  
  
"He is going to stay in England. Milly is going to stay there with them. Touya is going to take over this end of the business, while I focus on the one in Japan." Eriol explained. Tomoyo's eyes brightened.  
  
"But Yuki...he will want to stay near Mirah." She murmured. Eriol shrugged.  
  
"He is twenty, love. And he has a life of his own, now. He will probably stay in England with them. He has been showing interest in the business, and Touya has offered to show him the ropes. I think we have another business man in the family!" Eriol chuckled. Tomoyo clasped her hands and giggled.  
  
"Kawaii! Eriol, now Hilde and Kojii will be together! And everything will be all right again!" Tomoyo exclaimed, throwing her arms around her husband. Eriol chuckled and held her close.  
  
"I love you, my Tomoyo. My saving grace." He murmured. Tomoyo smiled and cuddled close to him, closing her eyes in contentment.  
  
"Forever and ever, my Eriol." She whispered.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	16. Coming to your senses

Daphne: Ok, let me just admit this right now.  
  
I FEEL SOOOOOOOOO STUPID!  
  
I had pretty much stopped working on this fic because I was getting bored with it. Then just a few days ago, one reader begged me to continue it. So I read back through the story to see where I had gone wrong, and realized that I had left a perfectly good story waste away!  
  
I am so sorry that I have dissapointed all of the readers of this fic. I feel really guilty, and to make it up to you, I will try to finish it as soon as possible. Granted, I am still working on my other stories, but I find that I just can't abandon this one any longer.  
  
Please forgive me for my stupidity and enjoy this chapter!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 15.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"They are *WHAT*?!?!" Hilde gasped, as she sat, listening to her sister.  
  
"Mother and father are moving to Japan...with the Burnsides! Don't ask me why, because normal people wouldn't move along with their friends, but it's true! Gram has asked mom and dad to stay with her, and they've agreed. Dad's going to take over the Japanese end of the business, and Touya's going to be taking over the England end, until Yuki's able to control it himself! Isn't it wonderful?" Heidi gasped, her eyes shining. Hilde was staring blankly at the wall across from her, trying to process this information.  
  
"Truly, Heidi? They are moving nearer?" She breathed. Heidi nodded eagerly. Behind her, Meilei was smiling happily, looking more like her mother than she knew. Her emerald eyes held the same sparkle her mother's did, and her auburn hair hung about her face lovingly.  
  
"Isn't it marvelous? We can all be together!" She exclaimed. Hilde turned to look at her and nodded slowly, as if coming out of a dream.  
  
"Wonderful." She whispered.  
  
"Heidi-love? I think it is time for us to go." Hiro murmured, coming into the room and throwing a smile at Hilde. Heidi immediately went into his arms and was led out, while Meilei hung back, her eyes on her friend.  
  
"Where is Akane?" Hilde asked softly. Meilei smiled.  
  
"She is out on a date with...Luke Terada." Meilei announced, her eyes twinkling even more. Hilde smiled weakly.  
  
"Are they very close?"  
  
"Oh, yes. He was the only one who was keeping her from hysterics the whole time you were missing." Meilei informed her. Hilde nodded.  
  
"I am glad."  
  
"Meilei? Are you ready to go?" Came Isaac's soft voice, as he peeked into the room. Meilei turned and smiled at him, quickly walking to his side.  
  
"I will come back soon, Hilde." She whispered, as she softly closed the door behind her and walked away with Isaac.  
  
If she had stayed a moment longer, she would have heard soft sobs coming from the very room she had just left.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kojii looked around cautiously as he crept through the dark hospital hallway. It was near to Midnight, but he had not been able to get away from the elders until just about an hour ago. He hadn't even eaten anything, but rushed straight to the hospital.  
  
One of the late-night nurses had put up a fuss about him being there, but Hilde's doctor had immediately put an end to that, informing the young man that Hilde had not been well that day, and it would be good for him to check on her.  
  
Kojii, alarmed at the doctor's report, had not hesitated to agree, and was now on his way to her room, his thoughts troubled. She had not been well? Had she had a relapse? What was wrong?  
  
Silently, Kojii made his way into her room, shutting the door tightly behind him. Her room was dark and there was only a little light, from a small night-light in the corner of the room. He slowly made his way over to the bed, and looked down at the sleeping girl in it. Immediately, Kojii knew that the doctor had not exaggerated.  
  
Hilde's face was pale and washed out, and her plum lips were trembling with each sleeping breath she took. There were tear-marks on her cheeks, and her eye-lashes were still damp with tears. Kojii noticed this with growing alarm, and he quickly comforted himself by grasping her limp white hands in one of his bigger ones.  
  
"Oh, Hilde. What's wrong." He whispered, kissing her forehead and gently brushing some of her hair off her face with his free hand. There was a shuddering breath and her amethyst eyes opened and looked at him in first confusion, then growing awareness, then joy.  
  
"Kojii." She breathed. He smiled down at her and gently ran his thumb over her cheek.  
  
"Why were you crying?" He asked.  
  
"No reason. I was being foolish, I suppose." Was he answer. Kojii eyed her sharply and let out a low growl. Without warning, his arms swooped around her and picked her up, causing her to shriek softly. Kojii simply chuckled and then sat into a chair, with her on his lap. He wrapped the hospital blanket that he had picked up along with her, around her tiny body and then held her close.  
  
"I missed holding you like this." He murmured, kissing her cheeks, nose, lips. Hilde's smile beamed out.  
  
"I want to stay with you." She whispered. He pulled away and looked at her, shocked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I want to stay here, in Hong Kong. I want to stay with you." She repeated. Kojii's heart nearly burst with happiness, but he couldn't forget her other worries.  
  
"But I can't ask you to do that, angel. You need to be close to your family. I am willing to accept that." He sighed. Hilde smiled a dewy smile at him, and cradled his chin in her hands, forcing him to look at her.  
  
"I will be close to them. But I need to be close to you, too. I don't think I could live without seeing you every day. I *need* you, Kojii." She whispered. Kojii groaned and pulled her close.  
  
"You'll stay with me? You will never leave?" He asked, his voice pleading. She smiled.  
  
"Only if you want me to." She breathed.  
  
"Stay." Was the only thing he said, before kissing her with all the love he had for her.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Shhh!"  
  
"No, you shhh!"  
  
"Shut up, both of you."  
  
"You'll wake her up!"  
  
"Oh, give it up. She's awake, and she's laughing at us." Xiaolong sighed, as he entered the room designated as Hilde's. It had been three days since she had been allowed to come 'home', to stay with the Li's. Her parents had already left to settle their affairs in England, and Heidi had gone to Japan with Hiro to plan her wedding.  
  
"Can we come in, Miss Hilde?" Deluce asked softly, looking into the dim room. It was the same room that she had stayed in on the night of the storm, and Hilde had been resting for a while, when the children had come in. Hilde turned in her bed to smile at them.  
  
"Come." She murmured, motioning to the bed. Within three seconds, her five students were arranged on the bed. Ying-fa had happily climbed in on one side of her, while Deluce claimed the other. Akito had seated himself next to his sister, and Chang and Xiaolong had settled down near the end of the bed.  
  
"Uncle Kojii said that you might be staying with us." Akito accused, his eyes narrowed. Hilde turned and blushed, eyeing him carefully.  
  
"Perhaps. How much do you know?" She asked. Deluce shrugged.  
  
"Only Kojii was looking a lot happier today, then ever before...well, actually, he's been that way for a while." She commented, putting a finger to her cheek.  
  
"Miss Hilde, I think Kojii likes you." Chang said in a direct voice. Hilde jumped and blushed even redder, as the twins giggled and shared a 'look'.  
  
"Oh? What gives you that idea?"  
  
"Well, he stares at you a lot...and he knew what you smelled like, and he visited you a lot in the hospital." Chang listed.  
  
"Plus, he gets nervous whenever you enter the room." Xiaolong added, his eyes twinkling.  
  
"And he asked us to give you this." Chang added, handing Hilde a plain paper bag. It was taped shut, and Hilde frowned at it uncertainly.  
  
"Open it!" Ying-fa urged, jumping up and down in the bed. Hilde smiled and carefully un-stuck the tape. Inside the bag was a small box, and Hilde gasped as she caught sight of it.  
  
"He asked you to give this to me?" She asked, looking startled. The children nodded and Hilde gently lifted the tiny box out. It was a velvet box, all violet in color. Slowly, she opened the box and gasped breathlessly, as the twins jumped up and down, laughing.  
  
"Uncle Kojii! Come out now!" Akito called. Hilde looked up to see Kojii coming out of the shadows, his face smiling, but tense. He made his way over to the bed, and knelt down, taking the box from her; all this time, his eyes never left hers.  
  
"Hilde Hiiragizawa, you are the most wonderful woman in the world, and I can not think of anything else I could possibly love as much as you. Would you make me the happiest man in the world...and marry me?" He murmured. Hilde's lips trembled, and when she opened them to answer, no sound came out. So she simply nodded, happy tears coursing down her cheeks.  
  
Kojii's face lit up and he gently slid the lovely diamond ring over her finger, then gazed up into her eyes. He stood up, and tenderly pulled her out of the bed, holding her close to him as he rained kisses on her forehead, cheeks, lips.  
  
Chang, Deluce, and Xiaolong watched this scene, slack-jawed, while the twins giggled and clapped silently, their eyes shinning.  
  
"It's just like that day when they were in bed together." Akito whispered to Ying-fa. Unfortunately, the other three heard them.  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Chang hissed, making sure that his older cousin didn't hear. Ying-fa giggled.  
  
"It is true! The morning after that scary storm, Uncle Kojii was in Miss Hilde's room. They told us not to tell, but...we can now. It's ok." The little girl whispered, her eyes glowing.  
  
"Are they going to get married?" Akito asked. Chang raised an eyebrow.  
  
"See that ring on her hand?" He asked. The twins nodded.  
  
"That means they are going to be married." He murmured. The twins silently shrieked in happiness and jumped up and down again.  
  
And Kojii and Hilde were unconscious of this all. They were too wrapped up in each other.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!"  
  
"WHAT?!?!"  
  
"About time!"  
  
Hilde smiled as the responses to her announcement filled the room. She had just told Heidi, Akane, and Meilei about her engagement to Kojii, and suffice to say, the responses were all different.  
  
"NO! Hilde, you can't marry him! He's...well, he's...you just can't!"  
  
"Why?" Hilde asked Heidi, her head tilted to the side. Heidi floundered for something to say, but nothing came out. Akane smirked.  
  
"Well, I can't say I'm completely surprised...I just didn't expect him to do it so soon." She murmured, still watching a livid Heidi struggle for words.  
  
"I wasn't. The twins came out screaming about someone getting married last week, and I just knew that he had done it. But what took you so long to tell us?" Meilei demanded, her emerald eyes twinkling. Hilde sighed.  
  
"I wanted Heidi to be here when I told anyone. So we asked the children not to say anything...but the twins were a little wound up." Hilde giggled, her amethyst eyes sparkling with life.  
  
"Hey, I'm just here for your graduation. I'm not here for your wedding." Heidi huffed. Hilde shot her a pleading look.  
  
"Heidi..."  
  
"Oh, all right. But if he *ever* hurts you in *any* way, I will kill him, and don't think I won't!" She snapped, getting up from her seat and beginning to pace. Hilde smiled and the other two girls laughed.  
  
"We don't doubt you for a minute, Heidi." Akane teased, as Heidi shot her a glare.  
  
"So...have you told daddy?" Heidi finally asked, her eyes narrowing. Hilde blushed.  
  
"Um...Kojii's gone to do it. In fact, he's probably telling both of our fathers at this very moment..."  
  
"YAHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!"  
  
"FINALLY! THEY FINALLY COME TO THEIR SENSES!!!"  
  
The girls looked, startled, in the direction that the two male voices had come from, and then they all began to laugh. The first had obviously been Eriol's, the second was Syaoran's.  
  
"I guess that answers that question." Meilei managed to gasp out as she giggled hysterically. The others couldn't respond, they were laughing so hard.  
  
"It seems to me that there will be a double wedding in our future!" Akane cheered.  
  
No one argued with this statement.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	17. Just Breathe

Daphne: Alright, people! The last and final chapter of 'Just Breathe' is here! I want you all to know that this was one of the hardest chapters to write, mostly because I never wanted this story to end. It is like my baby...I didn't want it to grow up!  
  
But now it has, and here it is, for all of you to read.  
  
Enjoy, everyone, and thank you for reviewing! I really appreciated it!  
  
P.S. Just to let some of you know, there was a question about my country of origin. The answer to that is...America. I am an American...through my roots are in Europe. Hope that doesn't disappoint anyone!  
  
JUST BREATHE  
  
by Daphne Li  
  
Epilogue  
  
Tears clouded Tomoyo's eyes as she looked around the familiar setting. A small grove of sakura trees, completely hidden from the outside world by bushes in-between. Emerald green grass was soft beneath the many rich- looking shoes, and the sky above was a crystalline blue. Near the front of the grove was an arch of white roses, under which stood a nervous looking Kojii and a smug-looking Hiro.  
  
A soft ballad began to play, and Tomoyo opened her mouth to sing the words, more tears coming as she watched her youngest daughter appear on the white- satin pathway. Hilde leaned on her father's arm, smiling shyly as he led her toward her future. Two little flower girls (Deluce and Ying-fa) walked in front of them, along with three grinning bridesmaids (Meilei, Akane, and Heidi). A beaming Akito carried the ring-pillow in the very front, with both Chang and Xiaolong on either side of him like guardsmen.  
  
Hilde wore a dress that her mother had designed, simple in it's lines but gorgeous on the girl that wore it. Her dark hair was pulled up into curls under the sheer veil that covered her face, but it was obvious that she was happier than she had ever been in her life.  
  
Finally the group reached the archway and Eriol kissed his daughter before releasing her over to Kojii. The younger man shot her a tender look that revealed his whole soul to anyone watching, and she willingly returned it.  
  
As the preacher spoke, Tomoyo's eyes met Eriol's and they were both forced to blink away the dampness that entered them. One other wedding had been here, years before, that was nearly identical to this one. A wedding that had touched them so deeply that it left a lasting effect on everyone around them.  
  
Their wedding.  
  
And now, Hilde was following in their footsteps, saying her vows in the very spot where years ago, her parents had first learned to love each other, and had later gotten married. A place so significant that it was almost holy to them.  
  
Tomoyo knew that something was different about this place. So near to a schoolhouse and yet filled with those of the future...and the past. A place where memories were boundless and hearts became one. Tomoyo and Eriol's place. Hilde and Kojii's place.  
  
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
  
Tomoyo's mind flew back to the present as she watched her new son-in-law bend down and kiss he bride gently. A happy tear escaped and slipped down her cheek as people began to crowd around the new couple, congratulating them and wishing them well.  
  
Two pale arms slid around her shoulders, hugging her gently. Tomoyo looked up to see her daughter, her Hilde, smiling up at her knowingly.  
  
"Just breathe, mommy. Just breathe." She whispered, before turning back to her husband. Tomoyo's eyes widened and a smile came to her lips. Another pair of arms slid around her waist, and she was pulled tightly against a broad chest.  
  
"Are you alright, love?" Eriol asked softly, though he already understood her thoughts. She looked up at him and her smile widened as she twined her arms around his neck.  
  
"I'm fine, Eriol-mine. I just need to breathe." She answered. Then she turned to watch the rest of the festivities.  
  
THE END!!!! 


End file.
